Fate: FINAL Night
by The Distorted Shadow
Summary: Emiya Shirou never knew what the future held. But circumstances caused all that to change, when he found himself thrust forward in time 30 years, into a Tokyo overrun with demons and cut off from the rest of the world by a dome of rock. But at least it gives him the chance to save those forsaken by even God itself.
1. Chapter 1

Well... I'm sorry to say that this is an idea that popped into my head and refused to leave it.

Beyond that, it ended up fleshing out more than any of my other fics have, so I've decided to skip the Anthology phase and send this straight to full story status.

I realize that people will probably be annoyed at me doing this given my other works that haven't been updated for so long... but unfortunately, I have no control of my muse.

But yeah... for anyone who want's to know what sort of progress I'm making on anything, there is my forum accessible by my profile page.

I've even decided to add a non-editing link to my OneDrive Folder there for anyone who wants to read the incomplete works in there.

I shall also pre-warn you that the characters listed on the site are liable to take time to show up, so don't expect them all that early.

But anyway...

On with the show.

* * *

Fujimura Taiga found herself once again heading towards the Emiya Residence for breakfast.

That was nothing unusual, she did that every morning to make sure the boy that was legally her responsibility to care for was safe and not doing anything troublesome to the neighbourhood.

Not that Shirou would ever do anything like that, he was simply too kind and helpful to cause problems… so if anything, it was more to make sure he was safe and not alone.

The street was practically silent at this time in the morning, very few people travelled through the area at the busiest of times, but this early usually made her the only person out in the neighbourhood.

Upon reaching the Emiya Residence, she immediately opened the door and called out to the owner of the house.

"Shirou!" she cried out already expecting to smell the sweet aroma of the boy's cooking.

It never came.

Nor did a reply.

Was he sick? She had found him sleeping in the shed on occasion, so she immediately made her way to check on the small outhouse.

"Shirou?" looking inside made her frown by his lack of a presence… it wasn't normal for him to oversleep if he hadn't collapsed in the shed.

Checking his room made her worry when he wasn't there, nor was he in the bathroom.

Room after room was checked and she saw no hide nor hair of him anywhere.

She would've assumed he had decided to stay at a friend's house if it wasn't for the fact that she knew he was home the previous night.

And she doubted he would leave for school without leaving some food for her.

She felt her heart sinking as she considered exactly what this meant.

Emiya Shirou was missing.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Emiya Shirou could feel his body aching as consciousness returned to him and his nose picked up on a horrible scent permeating everything around him, meaning he was somewhere that hadn't been properly cleaned in a long time.

Opening his eyes only made him grimace more.

He was currently sitting under an unfamiliar ceiling in a dark room that looked like it belonged in an underground mall.

The futon he was laying on had also clearly seen better days but in the end, he was in an unfamiliar place with no idea of how he had gotten there.

Sitting up, he rubbed his head as he tried to think back on the last thing he remembered.

He struggled to recall anything from before he woke up but the most he found himself managing to remember was his house and a blond man.

Beyond that, nothing.

The sudden noise of the door opening made him startle but he prepared himself to try and escape, only to find a man wearing a set of amour that looked almost like hockey pads, and carrying a shotgun enter the room.

Even if he was more capable with his magecraft, he doubted he could take on the person without at least a weapon.

"Oh, you're awake," the stranger spoke in a voice that sounded almost… pleasantly surprised at that, "we weren't sure if you would be able to wake up when we found you."

Shirou found himself frowning at that.

They had _found_ him?

He had to withhold a derisive snort at that thought.

If he had been found, then he should've been taken to the police station and not put onto an old futon, in a dark room, with an armed man checking up on him.

"Where am I?" he asked, wondering if this man would answer him.

"Ueno," the response was quick and simple, causing him to blink in surprise before frowning.

He only knew of one Ueno off the top of his head and that was a district in Tokyo.

"Can you walk?" the man asked, and he found himself turning his attention back to him, noting that the gun was still lowered.

"Yes," he acknowledged, earning what sounded like a sigh of relief from the man.

"Great, then come on," and with that, the stranger motioned for him to follow.

Shirou found himself rising off the makeshift bed and following the man, only to frown as soon as he left the room.

It looked like a subway station, but there seemed to be no one in the area except for people who were clearly homeless, and more people armed to the teeth with armour and guns.

Wherever he was, it was clearly derelict.

He found his brow furrowing as he watched a child talk to one of the gun carrying people with what appeared to be admiration… causing him to look at the other people in the area and how they reacted to the armed figures.

No one seemed unhappy to have these guards in the area.

Did that mean that the guards were there to protect these people? But if so, then what from?

"Oh, so you're awake," he found his attention drawn just across from the hall and noticed a modified ticket booth with a woman currently manning it.

"Great, then you can deal with this guy," and with that, Shirou suddenly found the man leaving him alone and entering a door just a little further down the hall, as the woman released an exasperated groan.

"Sorry about that," the woman spoke up not too long after that and Shirou found himself moving closer to her window, "but you know what hunters are like."

"Uh... hunters?" he couldn't stop himself from asking, from the way she spoke about it, it sounded like she thought it was obvious he knew the man was a hunter.

But then again, it would explain why everyone seemed so at ease with people carrying guns.

"Oh, come on," she sounded exasperated by his confusion, "hunters, you now, the people who go around outside, collecting relics, gathering food and killing demons."

Now he was officially confused.

Why was this woman talking about demons like it was a perfectly normal thing to do?

"What's with that look?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow, "don't tell me you hit your head or something?"

"Ah, sorry, it's just what you said about killing demons," he admitted while rubbing the back of his head, "it's just that you sounded serious then."

Her stare at him made it clear she didn't know how to respond to his response.

However, she finally seemed to come to a decision.

"Kid, what's the last thing you remember?" she asked and he found himself frowning at that.

"I remember being at home when… I think someone attacked me," he admitted as he slowly started to wonder if this woman was even a normal human, "next thing I know, I was waking up in that room behind me."

"So… where's your home?" she asked before continuing, "Shinjuku? Kinshicho? Maybe Shibuya?"

He couldn't stop himself from frowning as she listed of Train Stations in Tokyo… why would he live in any of them?

"Fuyuki City," he stated bluntly, earning several blinks off the woman.

"Excuse me?" she sounded almost dumbfounded by his response.

"I said, I'm from Fuyuki City," he repeated with his annoyance coming through.

"Great… just great…" she sounded almost defeated as she made that claim, "guess that means you _did_ hit your head."

He had to control his breathing at that response by her, but before he could reply, she continued.

"Look, I don't know if 'Fuyuki City' was a real place or not," she started, causing him to frown, "but if it was, then it probably stopped being during God's Plan."

He couldn't stop himself from blinking in response to that.

What did she mean by 'God's Plan'?

His confusion must have shown on his face given the way the woman was now releasing a sigh of defeat.

"God's Plan, is the name we gave to the nuclear holocaust that happened back in twenty-thirteen," she stated, and he felt his blood run cold.

From what she had just told him, he had somehow ended up over ten years in the future… a future where humanity almost wiped itself out.

"What year is it now?" he found himself asking automatically, earning another sigh off the woman.

"Twenty-thirty-five," her response made him close his fists.

If a nuclear weapon had gone off just twenty-two years ago, then radiation would still be a problem.

"So, everyone's down here to protect themselves from the fallout," he said out loud.

"The what?" her question made him freeze.

"The Nuclear Fallout," he clarified before noting the confusion on her face.

"Hmm... I think I've heard that somewhere before," she muttered to herself, "but I can't say I know what it is."

He couldn't stop himself from staring in disbelief at that statement, surely she should've been taught about that if bombs had been dropped.

"But, if nuclear weapons did go off, you should know about the radiation," he protested, earning a few blinks off the woman.

"Uh… you do realize that the ceiling stopped them from hitting us, right?" her statement made him stare at her blankly.

"Even if you're in a subway, it shouldn't have been enough to protect people from the blast," he was finding himself growing more frustrated with every point made.

"… uh… I said _the_ ceiling… as in the several kilometre-thick dome of stone that covers all of Tokyo," he could do little more than stare in disbelief at that explanation.

"… what?" was all he could say in response to that.

"Back when the bombs were dropped, a giant dome formed and protected the city from the destruction," she told him with an exasperated sigh, "of course, that also meant that we were trapped in here with the demons."

"Demons?" he couldn't stop himself from blurting out in confusion, earning a choking noise from the woman.

"W-w-what?" she could barely make a coherent sentence before she continued, "you don't even remember that demons have been around all our lives?!"

He also noticed the noise of others displaying shock at what had been said.

So he decided to be blunt and open about his situation.

"Given that the last time I checked, it was the year two-thousand and three, I'm a bit behind on the times," he stated with the blandest tone he could manage.

Almost immediately, the woman seemed to display a look of comprehension.

"Shit... why didn't you say that earlier?" she asked him and he found himself somewhat surprised she believed him.

"I thought it was too ridiculous for you to believe," he responded bluntly, "I'm actually surprised you believe me at all."

"Yeah… when you're born into a world filled with demons and a giant stone wall in the sky and stories that the world outside Tokyo has time moving faster than inside… the idea of time travel isn't that hard to buy," she pointed out with a bluntness in her own tone.

He honestly couldn't say he could argue with that reasoning.

"Still, must he hard for you to handle," she seemed genuinely apologetic as she made that statement, "being dragged from your life and thrown into such a shitty situation."

"It's not that bad," he admitted, this was the perfect opportunity to help people after all.

"You won't be saying that if you go above ground," she told him, and he found himself giving her a smile.

"Sorry… but you said something about demon hunters earlier?" he asked her and she seemed to deflate at that.

"Yeah, they're people who do jobs for rewards," she seemed to be more than willing to tell him now that she knew he really was clueless about any of this, "but it's dangerous work, many hunters die in the line of duty."

"I see… and what do I need to become one," he asked, earning a wince off the woman.

"Look, being a hunter is dangerous," she started to say, "you're talking about risking your life every day and the rewards are rarely that good… you'd probably be better off helping out somewhere else."

"Maybe, but being a hunter sounds like it would satisfy me more," he declared, after all, it would give him the chance to save people.

"… fine," she seemed unhappy with what he said but continued to speak regardless, "you need weapons and a smartphone… then you need to speak to a regional boss to be registered."

That caused him to blink.

"Why a smartphone?" he had heard about smartphones being released a few years ago… well, it would be longer now, but he didn't understand why he would need one.

"Well… smartphones are what allow hunters to access the Demon Summoning App," she stated, and he found himself blinking in surprise, "after all, most hunters make small deals with demons to get them to fight with them."

That news was enough to make Shirou even more confused than before.

"After all… demons are naturally more powerful than humans," she continued, "so without a smartphone, you're pretty much screwed if you try to fight one."

"How do I get a smartphone?" he asked, earning a sigh of defeat from the storekeeper.

"You don't," she responded clearly, "the Ashura-kai and Ring of Gaea have done everything in their power to collect all the remaining smartphones for themselves."

"Are they factions of hunters?" his question was obvious.

"Oh no, they're completely different," her response made him blink, "the only reason the hunters have any smartphones is because the Ashura-kai and Ring of Gaea let them… so there is quite a backlog of potential hunters waiting for phones."

That sounded like it would be beyond his ability to get around.

Which meant he would just have to leave the phone issue alone and do what he could without one.

"So I probably won't be able to get one," he stated, earning a nod off the woman.

"Yeah, but there is plenty of work to do that doesn't need a phone," she told him, causing him to blink in response, "and you're going to have to do something if you want to eat."

Shirou almost found himself snorting.

The idea of not earning his keep was a foreign concept to him.

"Isn't that normal?" he asked, earning a shrug off the shopkeeper.

"It is here," she responded, "I was born after the Ceiling appeared, so I only know what I was told… and that included people leeching off others so they didn't have to work."

"Well… I guess there were people like that," he admitted with a frown, "but I've been working ever since I was allowed to, so it's nothing new to me."

"Well, then you shouldn't have too much trouble gathering supplies should you?" she asked him with a small grin on her face, "don't worry too much about going out, the Hunters should be able to protect you from the demons."

"Ah, you don't need to send hunters with me," he told her, earning a sigh off the woman.

"Look, I get that you don't know how dangerous demons are, but if you meet one without a hunter protecting your ass, you're dead," she told him without any trace of humour in her tone, "there are no two ways about it, you need the demon summoning app to stand up to them and without it, you're little more than a snack for them."

Shirou wanted to disagree, he wanted to be able to say he would be fine because he knew magecraft… but the simple fact of the matter was that he could barely use any of it without suffering severe pain.

But that didn't mean he could just accept the situation and not do anything about it.

It just meant that he would have to be careful to avoid outright fighting a demon.

"I guess I'll be careful then," he told her, though he couldn't shake the lack of conviction in his words.

"… I get the impression I'm not going to change your mind," she responded with a sigh of defeat, clearly hearing the lack of conviction herself, before she seemed to decide to change the topic, "are you hungry?"

He was used to eating good meals every day, so he could tell his stomach was expecting food, however there was something important that he couldn't dismiss in this situation.

"I'm good enough to skip a few meals," he pointed out.

"If that's the case, are you up for some gathering?" she asked him without any hesitation in her tone.

"Yeah," and with that acknowledgement, he found himself getting his first job in this new world.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou could do nothing more than feel frustration as he searched for usable resources in the ruins of Tokyo.

It was dark, illuminated only by the lights that hadn't blown since the city had been engulfed by the giant dome of rock that loomed overhead like a headsman's axe.

Because as long as that ceiling existed, the humans trapped under it were living on borrowed time.

Sooner or later, they would run out of provisions or be hunted down to the last person by the demons that stalked the streets… because the city had already gone from over eight million residents, to less than a thousand, ending the species wasn't an insurmountable task anymore.

And despite everything, he was currently stuck rummaging through derelict stores looking for anything useable.

The worst part was knowing that there was someone just a few dozen feet away that was watching over him and the others that were scavenging just in case a demon appeared to attack them.

The idea that there was someone who would be putting themselves at risk to protect him made him clench his fist… it was the last thing he wanted to happen after all.

Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he looked through another section of the building and found a slightly damaged set of mugs… they weren't something that would be suitable back when he came from, but given the situation this future was in, they'd probably be more use here.

And so, he picked them up and put them in the tattered rucksack he had managed to get his hands on before feeling… _some_ type of sensation spread through his body, one that he couldn't identify.

Looking around, he found himself wondering just what this… unnatural feeling was and what was causing it.

"Hey, you okay?" another person not far from him asked upon seeing him looking around the area.

"Sorry… I just… got this bad feeling," he decided to be honest about it.

"Heh, first time gathering?" the stranger asked and he found himself frowning at that, "don't be surprised, I think most people feel uneasy when they first come out the shelters."

Shirou hoped the person was right, that it was just the fact that this was the first time he had been out on the streets of Tokyo since he had gotten there, but the feeling just seemed to grow more as time passed.

"Well, why don't you just get back to work, if you don't gather enough, you won't eat," and with that the stranger continued to rummage through their own pile of rubble.

Shaking his head clear, he was about to turn to return to his pile when he noticed movement out the corner of his eye.

Turning to face whatever it was he had noticed, he found himself looking at a large man with long brown hair, wearing what looked like what little he'd seen of Scottish clothing on TV, with a blue Tartan kilt, studded leather breast-plates, a long fur cape and wielded a one-handed sword and shield.

However, what truly caught his attention concerning the man, was the distinct lack of legs he possessed, the numerous swords and arrows impaling him through his body, the blood flowing from his forearms and the fact he was floating above the roof that was directly above the Hunter standing guard.

"Above you!" he called out as his body moved towards the man.

The Hunter immediately jumped away, resulting in him only receiving a deep gash down his back instead of being cleaved in two completely, but at least he was alive, even if he was laying on the ground, groaning in obvious pain.

The screams that echoed through the area made it clear to him that the other civilians were more concerned about running away, but he couldn't leave the Hunter to die.

"I missed," what was obviously a demon stated with a clear sense of annoyance in its tone as it moved towards the injured Hunter.

Shirou found himself looking for a weapon, the only one that he could really see was the gun laying at the Hunter's side, but the demon would definitely reach them before he did.

He didn't have time.

And there were weapons he could probably use.

So he rushed towards the legless demon as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Foolish boy," and before he could reach the demon, he found himself stopping as suddenly as he could and leaning his head back and to the side as the blade the demon held in it's right hand cut into his cheekbone.

He was certain it had left a nasty gash if the feeling of liquid flowing down his cheek was anything to go by, but he immediately pressed forward and reached out to grab one of the swords currently stuck in the demon's flesh.

"I missed again," the demon sounded almost frustrated as Shirou found himself trying to rip the blade from the demon before finding himself getting knocked back by the shield, "an amusing plan you had there boy, but my swords are part of my body."

For the first time, the demon seemed to actually regard him as something more than an insect.

And Shirou found himself facing certain death.

But if he died, then who would save the hunter that was laying on the ground, bleeding out.

Gritting his teeth, he looked for something to use against the demon but once again came up short.

There were no weapons he could use.

… except for one.

A weapon he had never thought he would have to resort to, a weapon his father had told him wasn't worth bothering with due to how inefficient it was.

Once again the foes weapon headed towards him, this time he didn't have time to dodge.

Pulling his hands up, he looked at the sword that was swinging at him and _pushed_.

The next thing he knew, the blade that had been heading towards him was no longer there as a copy of it appeared in his hands and let him parry it to the side, much to the apparent shock of the sword wielding demon.

But with that sword, came an unfamiliar pain, three shots of heat flowing through his body, practically burning away at the flesh around them… he was certain he wouldn't be able to fight with that in his body.

And so he put everything he had into a swing that he had never known he knew, possessing power he never thought himself capable of, and somehow managed to cleave into the demon's flesh as easily as it had cut into the Hunters.

He heard it grunt in pain as it staggered backwards in response to the slash he made against it, and with as much strength as he could muster, forced himself off the ground and into a second swing, one that managed to strike true, severing the demon's head from its shoulders.

Watching his foes body collapse to the ground, he found himself taking several deep breaths as he watched some form of red, bubbling energy rise from it and move towards him.

He could feel it, entering the flow of heat that had appeared when he had used his magecraft against the demon.

With his mind now clearer with the active threat gone, he found himself almost laughing at the thought that this heat was probably some form of magic circuit… though it felt… off, compared to what his nerves felt like when he used them.

Without any further hesitation, he moved towards the fallen Hunter and noticed that while they were definitely unconscious, they were still at least breathing.

And so he proceeded to let his makeshift weapon disperse into nothingness before picking up the man that had stood guard over the area, and started to make his way towards the entrance to the subway.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" he felt relief flood his body as he saw a group of Hunters coming out of the entrance… that would be helpful given how tired he was right now.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

"Thanks," Shirou found himself saying as the shopkeeper finished cleaning the cut on his face, stemming the bleeding and applying bandages.

"It'll leave a scar, but given how close you were to losing your head there, you should feel grateful," she responded with a sigh.

"What about the Hunter?" he asked, hoping it would be good news.

"From what I've heard, he'll probably make a full recovery," she responded, and he found himself blinking in surprise, "unlike you, Hunters have demons capable of healing injuries like that."

That made him smile.

Knowing that his short struggle had meaningful consequences definitely helped him ignore the feeling of heat that was flowing through his newly opened magic circuits.

"… can't you at least look like you're going to try and get someone to heal you?" she asked him, and he found himself chuckling in response.

"They've got more important things to use that power on that a cut like this," he told her easily.

"… hey… was everyone back in your time like that?" he looked at her and blinked in confusion, "I mean, was everyone so… selfless?"

He found himself frowning at that.

He wished he could say they were, but that would be far too much of a lie.

"No, most people were pretty selfish," he admitted with a sigh of defeat.

"So you're just a special case," her words made him frown.

"No… I had a time when I thought of myself and ignored others," he admitted as the memories of the flames flickered at his mind, "I'm just trying to make up for that."

"… well, I don't know what happened back then," she spoke up, "but you saved a man today… he had a kid you know."

Shirou couldn't stop himself from jerking in surprise at that.

"So that's a man that would've died if you hadn't been there, and a child that would've been without a father," she told him bluntly, "so as far as I'm concerned, you've probably made up for whatever selfishness you had before."

He couldn't stop himself from frowning at that.

She didn't know.

He would never make up for the lives lost that day.

That was why he would continue to save as many people as he could… he would save others in the hopes that it would justify his survival when everyone else had died.

"Look, I get that you might be used to moping around," the shopkeeper said with a sigh, "but be happy with every victory you get… the losses are far more common."

He looked down at the ground as she told him that.

"Now why don't you go to bed, you look so exhausted, one of your eyes is drooping," she said and he found himself snorting, it wasn't his tiredness that was making his eye droop, "I'll make sure you get something to eat and drink delivered later."

He was about to reject the idea of food but his stomach made it clear it wasn't happy with the idea of not being fed after such a bad situation.

"… thanks," he settled on instead.

"It's not a problem," and with that said, he forced himself up off the floor he was sitting on before making his way back to the room he woke up in, "just know, you'll probably have company tonight… the other rooms are too cramped if you're taking one to yourself."

"Okay," he didn't really have anything else to say about it and so, he made his way for the bed.

Hopefully, these circuits would calm down and he would be able to fight the demons again.

Because he had learned that he could still defeat demons and save people even without a smartphone.

He just needed to recover from whatever he did to open those three magic circuits.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

This… was not what he expected.

Hunger had caused him to attack a human from above and behind with the intention of satiating himself.

The strike had failed in achieving its intended result but had still crippled his victim.

But then that boy had gotten involved and had somehow managed to manifest a sword in mid-air.

He was certain he had been slain by the boy… but this was most certainly _not_ the expanse.

An endless desert, with his only company being a set of swords that lay in the centre of the region.

At least his hunger was dying down though.

Well… it wasn't like there was anything to do here, so he started to look at the weapons resting before him.

That one looked just like the sword in his hand, it even had the same nick from wear there… and there… and there… and there… and there.

Okay, that was… wrong.

Looking between his sword and the one resting before him, he couldn't identify a single difference between them.

The others seemed to reflect the swords that were impaled in him as well.

Never before had he been so confused.

Where was he?

And why did he feel like he had been bound?

So many questions… well, he was sure answers would appear at some point.

For now, he would just wait.

And look at the swords again.

* * *

And that's it for this chapter.

There are actually a few things planned out already so if you want to learn anything about where I'm planning on taking this fic...

Like I said before, my forum has it all.

So until next time...

Shadow Out.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone.

Next chapter up and ready.

First... I'll answer some reviews:

Last Tyrant: I considered using a post UBW Shirou when I was coming up with the story, but I decided it would probably be more interesting for me to write if I used a less developed Shirou.

Rangle: _Technically_ Shirou has UBW, he just doesn't know about it... and due to the way he's going to progress in the story, it'll ended up being different.

Guest: For one thing, area isn't a real factor in this fic. The higher leveled areas in the game is a side effect of the fact it's a game more than anything else. However, the demon he defeated was weak regardless... plus, he caught it off guard and given that Flynn defeated one of it along with another before he got any demons, and humans in SMT4A managed to push back a full scale assault by demons when their Demon Summoning Apps were disabled makes it clear that it's plausible for humans to win, especially when they get lucky against a weaker foe.

DPSS: I understand your point about it being too fast paced when it comes to reaching the action, I honestly wanted to push it back a bit but doing so without it feeling like pure, pointless filler ended up being beyond my reach given the setting... however I will have to disagree with Shirou "getting over it to quickly". Shirou isn't the type of person to dwell on things when there are people that need help, it's basically his defining characteristic (outside of swords).

Anyway... that's all for now, so let's get on with the story.

* * *

Shirou couldn't stop himself from groaning as he felt the numbness from his aching Magic Circuits refusing to leave him.

It had been over a day since they had opened themselves during his fight with the Scottish Demon he had learned was called Lham Dearg, but his body refused to recover from the numbness that permeated it.

Beyond that, there was one circuit that felt worse than the others, feeling almost like it was… congested with something a bit thicker than normal magical energy.

The bandages that covered his face had been changed a few times since they had been put on, but at least his cut had stopped bleeding.

"Hey, you feeling any better?" he couldn't stop himself from releasing a sigh as the shopkeeper asked him that as he walked up to her to trade in the resources he had managed to pick up during the day.

"Sorry, still feeling numb," he admitted with a frown, "I just don't know how to get rid of it."

"Same here," she responded without hesitation, "Lham Dearg aren't known for poisoning their victims so I have no idea what's causing it."

He was unsure if he should tell her about the concept of Magic Circuits, but even now, Kiritsugu's advice about keeping it a secret remained in his head.

"Sorry," he couldn't stop himself from simply apologizing, he knew that his numbness was making him less effective at gathering resources and preventing him from helping people being attacked by demons, but he still felt bad about his lack of usefulness.

"Don't be," she told him with a blank stare, "it's pretty obvious you're not trying to use it as an excuse to skip out of working… so cut yourself some slack."

He honestly didn't know how to respond to her statement.

He understood what she was telling him, but at the same time, he couldn't just stop himself from feeling like dead weight even if he still did what he could to earn his keep.

"Well… let's see here," and with that, she looked at what he had managed to find, "some canned coffee, some Vitamins and a kettle… that totals…"

She turned to what was obviously a chart on the wall before putting the results into a calculator lying on her desk.

"One thousand and eighty-one Macca," and with that, she handed over a bill and a selection of coins.

It had definitely confused him when he had first seen them, at least, until he found out that the money was the official currency of the demons.

And apparently, some demons were willing to accept it as payment for their services, meaning it was easier to use it instead of Yen since it was practically universal.

"Thank you," he responded with a sigh as he considered what he could buy with that.

Food wasn't a big issue, the Hunter Association served that and he had discovered that Hunters did regularly go out hunting demons for meat.

Vegetables where much rarer though since there were only limited places to grow them and even those places needed special lights that would eventually run out.

The problem was buying equipment.

Even the cheapest combat knife cost over three thousand Macca.

Well, it could wait a couple more days.

For now, he would just settle with getting some food and trying to shake off the numbness he was feeling.

Entering the Hunter Association was something he had done once before, but he still couldn't get over how much busier it was than the rest of the underground.

But then again, Hunters from all over gathered to eat and get jobs so it wasn't really a surprise that it would be busier, especially given how small the room was.

"Hoi! Emiya," he found his attention drawn towards a hunter that looked to be around his thirties with sharp features, short black hair, blue eyes and wearing the usual hockey-pads, waving him over and he found himself frowning in confusion, "don't be a stranger, come on over!"

He felt himself tense at how the man seemed to know him and even seemed almost happy to see him.

But he moved over and took a seat next to him since he doubted the man was planning on causing any trouble in such a packed location.

"Hey, barkeep, get the kid some food on me," the man said and Shirou found himself jerking in surprise.

"Wha? No, I can't accept it," he responded, he wasn't willing to accept charity when there were so many people who probably needed food more than him.

"Oh come on, it's the least I could do after you saved my life," the man said with a frown and he found his eyes widening as he looked towards the man's back, "almost fully healed… took a while for a friends Leanan Sidhe to heal it up but outside of still being a little stiff, I'll probably be able to take another job soon."

Shirou found himself releasing a sigh of relief at that.

"Sorry, I thought you'd still be bedridden," he admitted with a smile, "I never expected you to be up and about so quickly."

"Don't worry about it," the man responded with a smile, "but if you want, I can get one of my demons to heal that cut on your face."

Shirou definitely appreciated the offer, but his reasoning was the same as before.

"Thank you for the offer, but it's probably better if you save the healing for life-threatening injuries," in a world like this, he was all too aware that getting healed quickly could be the difference between life and death, so the more healing was available, the more people wouldn't have to die.

"You sure?" Shirou nodded, earning a sigh off the man, "I mean, you did get that because I was too relaxed, so I don't mind fixing it."

"I'd rather the healing is saved for someone that actually needs it," his response wasn't something he would change his mind about, no matter how much anyone tried to convince him otherwise.

"… are you sure you don't?" the man asked and Shirou found himself looking at him with a frown, "Hana told me you were feeling numb yesterday."

Shirou found himself releasing a sigh as he heard him mention the Shopkeeper that had helped him so much since he had ended up in Ueno.

"That's not your fault," he told the man firmly.

"Hard not to feel that way," the response was quick but this was as a situation where Shirou would definitely turn down a check-up… he didn't know if the demon wouldn't recognize what his magic circuits were and let the man know.

"Well, I don't think it is and it's my body that got messed up," he stated without hesitation before he found his attention drawn to a bowl of meat stew that was placed down in front of him by the barkeeper.

He carefully decided to push the idea of what the meat was made of out of his mind as he offered a quick 'Itadakimasu' before starting to consume the meal.

"Hana wasn't lying when she said you were a pretty selfless person," the man said with a shake of his head.

Shirou found himself unable to really refuse that statement as he continued to eat the meal that had been laid before him.

"Anyway…" the man spoke up once more, "you planning on becoming a Hunter?"

Shirou found himself feeling relief at the change in topic and decided to answer honestly.

"Yeah, seems like something I want to do," he responded easily.

"Well, as much as I'd like to put in a good word for you," the man started, "I don't have much pull in the Association, so I might not be able to get you much farther up the waiting list."

Shirou could do little more than blink in surprise, he hadn't expected even that much.

However…

"Thanks, but I'm not going to wait for a Phone," he admitted, earning a grimace from the Hunter.

"That's not a good idea," the response was expected.

"I know, but I want to be more useful than just a gatherer," he admitted immediately.

"Why not just wait?" Shirou refused to agree to something like that.

"Because the longer I wait, the more people I fail to save," he noted the way he man's expression seemed to shift into a frown at that.

Finishing up his meal, he stood from his seat.

"Thank you for the meal," he said quickly, "I might see you later."

"Yeah… see you later," the man said as the rookie magus left to get some time alone.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Sitting alone in a room, Shirou focused inward as he tried to figure out a way to undo the issues his newly opened Magic Circuits had caused.

Of course, the sheer fact that he didn't know what was wrong with them meant that figuring it out would be a learning experience.

First thing was first, he had to try and figure out what exactly was causing the numbness, so he activated his circuits and immediately felt the power within them starting to swell and flow beyond the light hum that had previously reminded him of their presence.

The fact that it didn't affect his aching was enough to tell him that it wasn't the fact they were open that was the problem… which left the method they were opened with.

The problem there, was that he didn't actually know how he opened them in the first place.

It had been a moment of desperation that had caused him to activate them… so maybe the speed with which he opened them was a factor? Maybe the sudden influx of Magical Energy had shot through his muscles and caused some damage there?

He found himself wishing he was capable of using Structural Analysis on himself as he thought about that, about just how much easier it would be to diagnose the cause of his numbness if he could literally look at his body in detailed schematics.

But if he had actually damaged his body, then he might need to see about having a demon check him over… though he might just try to have a random demon do so for payment instead of getting a Hunter's demon to do so.

Shaking his head clear, he dismissed his thoughts on the numbness, he obviously couldn't really do much about that, so instead, he decided to try and figure out what was wrong with one of his Circuits.

While none of them really felt quite right compared to the ones he used to rig from his nerves, the energy flowing through them felt like there was more to it than what he was used to, there was one that stood out above the others.

A power much denser and harder to move than the rest… almost like comparing water to soup, took up residence in one of his circuits and he had no idea what it was.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on the flow of that circuit and spoke two words.

"Trace On."

Pushing the thick power, he forced it to move before with a flourish of his left hand, forced it to leave his body.

Immediately, he knew something had gone wrong as he felt something he could only describe as a tether connecting the energy he expelled to his circuit.

The more shocking part however, was the blast of golden lightning that burst at the location he had previously gestured in the region of.

"Interesting," Shirou felt his blood run cold as he heard a voice he remembered from just a couple of days prior, "I wasn't expecting to be summoned."

There, floating right where the lightning had appeared, was the demon that had cut his face, Lham Dearg.

It didn't take long for it to turn its attention to him.

"Oh? I did not expect to see you again so soon," it spoke with a hint of surprise in its tone and Shirou found himself wondering if it was possible to use the tether to drag the demon back into his Circuits until he could get a Hunter to help in slaying it, "but then again, it would appear that I have become bound to you."

Shirou wasn't sure what that would mean for the demon but he decided to not tug on the tether just yet.

"What's going on?" he asked, earning a nonchalant shrug off the Scottish Swordsman.

"Your guess is as good as mine," it told him without any real emotion in its tone, "I have never heard of a demon becoming bound by a human without an external object to act as a medium."

"Are you going to try and kill me again?" he asked it bluntly, earning a small snort from the demon.

"Why would I? This connection between us is stopping me from going hungry, so I want to keep it as long as possible," it stated and Shirou found himself blinking in disbelief.

"B-but didn't I kill you?" he pointed out, earning a chuckle from the creature.

"I attacked your group first and retaliation is only to be expected on the battlefield," it responded, clearly not holding a grudge against him, "that you managed to kill me simply says that fortune favoured you this time."

Shirou really didn't know what to say in response to that.

"Also… wherever you stored me has nice swords," it spoke with a sense of satisfaction, "why, they even looked identical to my own."

He had no idea what it was talking about… and beyond that, he had the feeling he should probably do something about the demon now.

"Yeah… anyway…" and with that he pulled on the tether and immediately noticed the demon dispersing into some form of energy before flowing back into his magic circuit, "bye."

This was definitely a major complication… and it didn't take him long to figure out who to talk to about it.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

"So, let me get this straight," the shopkeeper named Hana said with a frown, "that Lham Dearg you killed has somehow ended up taking residence in your body?"

"Pretty much," he admitted.

"And it is not trying to kill you," she clarified.

"It said the connection is stopping it from going hungry," he told her as calmly as he could.

"And you actually want to get rid of it?" she asked, and he found himself frowning at her.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked her.

"It could be useful… especially if you want to do the sort of stupid thing only a Hunter does without a phone to make it more survivable," she stated bluntly.

"But it seriously injured…" he trailed off, realizing he never actually got the Hunter's name.

"Takeda," she told him with an amused smile, "and don't worry about that, he's a Hunter, he's recruited some of the demons that have attacked him before."

Shirou still didn't feel all that happy with the idea of ignoring the fact that the demon that was currently using his Magic Circuits as a makeshift home, had injured someone he had actually gotten to speak to properly.

"Look, if you still don't like it, then go and talk to him about it," she told him firmly.

He couldn't stop himself from releasing a sigh of defeat as she said that.

In the end, it would depend mainly on how Takeda felt about the demon's presence… because as much as he hated to admit it, if the demon really did want to keep him alive so it's hunger would remain sated, then it probably could be useful.

"I'll go and do that then," he acknowledged her suggestion, "see you around Hana-san."

"Yeah, see ya Shirou," she replied without hesitation as he walked over to the Hunter Association and entered.

The room was still just as busy as it had been earlier, and it took him a few moments to find his target amidst the mob of Hunters and the uneven light cast by the giant screen that was used for the internal Hunter Ranking system.

However, as soon as the man was in sight, he made his way towards him and the other man he was casually chatting with.

"Takeda-san?" he decided to ask politely before imposing himself into the conversation.

"Oh? You're back Emiya," the response was clearly surprised though there was an undercurrent of it being a pleasant one for the man, "this is Sosuke, he's the guy whose demon healed my back."

"It's nice to meet you Sosuke-san," Shirou responded without hesitation as he looked over the black-haired man's friend.

"Likewise," the newly introduced man said without preamble.

The man was a bit bigger than Takeda and had stronger features despite also looking about the same age as the recovering Hunter. Beyond that, he had brown hair and green eyes and wore the usual hockey-pad style armour that the Hunters seemed to favour.

"Have you changed your mind about getting that cut on your face healed up?" Takeda asked him, and he found himself blinking in surprise, he had actually forgotten about that with the current issues he was facing.

"Ah, no, but I am here to talk to you about the demon that attacked you," he asked, earning a frown from the blue-eyed man.

"What about it? You killed it didn't you?" the man asked before continuing, "the Hunters who came to help said you cut off its head."

Shirou had to wince as he thought about what he was about to say.

"Yeah… I did… but it turns out it… didn't exactly die," he said with a wince.

"… what?" the response was obvious and Shirou found himself internally wincing even more as he said what he had to.

"I… seem to have somehow bound it to me… and accidentally summoned it earlier," he grimaced as he made that claim.

"And where is it now?" Sosuke spoke up and he shrugged.

"It seems to be possible for me to store it in… my nerves," he wasn't quite ready to tell them about the presence of Magic Circuits yet, so nerves seemed like the best analogue to the real storage container.

"… I've never heard of anything like that happening before," Takeda said after a few moments of thinking, "but if that's true… then I'm guessing it didn't attack you when you summoned it."

Shirou could do nothing more than stare in surprise at how quickly he came to that conclusion.

"Don't be so surprised, you'll probably be acting as a free source of food for it, so it'd have to be pretty stupid to try and kill you," the man he had saved said with a shrug.

"And you're okay with that?" he asked, earning a snort of amusement from the man.

"If I held a grudge against every demon that attacked me, I'd have none in this phone of mine," he responded with a smile, "plus, if you can summon a demon without a phone, then that might let you survive long enough to get one."

Shirou honestly found himself shocked by how easily the man was dismissing the attempt on his life, but then again, he'd probably been experiencing that for most of his life, so it probably didn't hold as much weight as it did back in the days before Demonic invasions.

"So you don't have a problem with me using it?" he asked for confirmation.

"No problems from me," the black-haired man responded without any hesitation.

"And what about equipment?" Sosuke spoke up and Shirou found himself releasing a sigh at that.

"Don't have any but a few more days of scavenging should probably get me enough to buy something," he admitted after a few seconds.

"Well, I still have some old stuff I was keeping in case of an emergency," Takeda said almost immediately, "so I guess I could give it to you as a thank you for stopping me from becoming demon food."

"You already bought me some food," the red-headed amateur magus responded without thinking.

"Not much a thank you given what you did," Sosuke stated with a blank expression, "even the second-hand equipment isn't much of one."

"Yeah, well I doubt Emiya here would accept it if I bought some for him," the Hunter stated without a seconds doubt and Shirou found himself somewhat inwardly frowning at the fact the man was right, "he isn't even accepting an offer to fix that cut on his face."

"Like I said, it's better saved for people who need it," his statement was instant and earned an amused smile off the man he had saved previously.

"See," and with that, Shirou found himself once again frowning at how the man seemed to be able to figure out how he'd respond to offers even though they'd only met earlier that very day, "still, I'd feel better knowing you've got some equipment at the very least… provided you don't do something stupid like go out to fight demons before you've recovered."

Even Shirou had to admit that going out to fight demons with his body feeling numb leaped right over the line separating helpfulness and stupidity.

"I'm not that stupid," he pointed out with a small glare of his own.

"Then come on," Takeda said as he and Sosuke rose from their seats, "let's go get you my old gear."

Shirou felt like protesting but didn't get a chance to as he found himself being manhandled up and out of the Hunter Association and towards one of the small rooms lining the walls of the underground.

Upon being taken into the room, he found himself being moved in front of a case that was quickly opened to reveal what was obviously some old armour that resembled the hockey-pad like uniforms worn by the majority of Hunters, along with a sword, a handgun and several clips of ammunition.

"Go on, it might not fit quite right, but it's better than nothing," Takeda told him firmly.

"That's…" he didn't know how to respond to that demand.

"Besides, as much as I hate to admit it," the man spoke with a nervous smile, "I'm not really that good with swords or handguns… I really need the stopping power and spread of a shotgun."

Shirou found himself growing confused at that.

"But then, why do you still have this?" he asked, from what the man said, it was for an emergency, but why keep equipment he was no good with?

"Because he likes to pretend he's badass enough to use them," Sosuke stated with an amused smile.

"Shut up," the small blush that spread across the recovering man's face said all that needed to be said about the authenticity of that statement.

"Still, given that I heard you decapitated that Lham Dearg, I think you'd probably be better with a sword than this idiot here," the other man said with a smirk still on his face.

Shirou found himself silently grateful at the two's interaction, it reminded him that if he had failed to save Takeda, then it would have affected others as well.

It didn't change the fact that he felt awkward accepting so much from the man.

"I'm still not sure about this," he finally let out, "I mean, this doesn't seem like the sort of thing you'd do for anyone that saved you."

After all, if they were this friendly with everyone that saved them, then wouldn't that wipe them clean of things to give away?

"You're right," he found himself slightly jerking at that admission, "if you had been another Hunter, then I probably wouldn't be as grateful as I am right now."

Shirou found himself narrowing his eyes at that.

"Because if it had been another Hunter, then it would've been expected," the man continued, causing the teen to frown in confusion, "a Hunter makes a living using and killing demons, so saving each other is a pretty normal thing."

"But you're not a Hunter, you're a civilian," Sosuke spoke up and Shirou found himself continuing to frown, "what did the others do when that demon attacked Takeda? I bet they probably ran and left him to die."

He couldn't deny that, it was pretty much was what happened after all.

"But you didn't," the man continued, "you decided to risk your life for a stranger, without any weapons, without any armour and without a single demon to your name… that's more than can be said for most people."

The young red-head found himself incredibly uncomfortable with that particular praise… mainly because he wished he could deny it, but he honestly couldn't given what had actually happened.

"So if you're planning on getting involved outside, then I want to at least give you something to help you survive," and with that statement, Shirou finally found himself giving in.

"… thanks," and with that, he accepted the opened case and pulled out the sword and gun in order to try and get a feel for them.

He wasn't particularly familiar with guns, but he could tell that the handgun was solidly crafted but not too heavy to be cumbersome.

The sword was something he was much more comfortable with courtesy of it taking a form similar to the Bokutou he used to train with in his dojo back home…

He couldn't stop himself from feeling a sense of pain well up at that thought.

Fuji-nee had probably worried herself to death after his sudden disappearance… and if she hadn't…

If she hadn't then she had probably been killed in the Nuclear Armageddon.

"Hey? You okay?" he immediately pulled himself from those thoughts as he turned to face the pair of men that had taken him there.

"Yeah, nothing you need to worry about," he responded without a seconds hesitation… they didn't need to know about his lost family and he was certain he'd get over it soon enough.

Especially if he kept himself busy.

The men didn't look like they believed him but they wouldn't get this out of him.

"Thank you for the gear," he told them quickly as he started to remove them from the case.

"You can keep the case," the statement was spoken quickly and Shirou found himself once again sighing at their decision to gift him with so much… but if he was right, they wouldn't budge on that either.

So he repacked the case and closed it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he nodded at the repeated question.

"Yeah, just got to go and get some sleep," he told them calmly as he made to leave the room, "numbness is acting up again, see you later."

And without any further words, he left the room and made his way back to the room he was currently using to rest up in.

"Hey," he stalled as he heard Hana's voice call out to him as he neared the door, causing him to turn and face the store, "I take it things went well… or maybe not."

He couldn't stop himself from sighing in response.

"It's nothing," he told her without any real conviction behind those words.

"… homesick?" she asked and he found himself flinching involuntarily, "come on, talk."

"Look, it's nothing you need to worry about," he told her firmly, "just… just let me have some time alone."

And without waiting any longer, he entered the room he was using and headed over to the futon laying on the floor before putting the case down next to it.

Sitting down on the makeshift bed, he found himself sighing once again as he tried to push the thoughts of home out of his mind.

He had more important things to do right now, such as trying to figure out how to deal with the numbness that still plagued his body.

And so, he started getting to work once more.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Lham Dearg found himself once again looking at the weapons that lay in the empty field of dirt.

When he had first appeared in this place, there had simply been four swords, each one looking identical to the four that he had.

But now, now the number had grown, there were now about an extra twenty bladed weapons littering the ground with the latest addition being a worn Japanese Style blade.

None of them were as good as the first four though… he most certainly wasn't jealous of some of the others that had shown up, not at all.

They weren't like his swords after all.

His swords were obviously superior to other swords, and to admit that these copies of his swords were inferior to some of the other weapons that showed up would mean admitting that his swords weren't the best.

Which they were.

Because they were his swords.

End of discussion.

Of course, the real question wasn't the quality of the swords, but _why_ they kept appearing out of nowhere.

What was it that caused them to keep popping in?

And if they kept popping in like that, when would the field become filled to its limit?

Was there even an end to the world? Because he sure as hell couldn't see it.

There wasn't even a horizon, there was just an endless expanse of empty space and an empty sky sitting above it.

Maybe he would ask his new master what this place was the next time the boy summoned him.

Provided the boy _did_ summon him again.

He was pretty sure the kid wasn't comfortable with his presence, then again, he had tried to decapitate the boy when they first met, so maybe he was holding a grudge?

Either way, he was curious about this world, why it existed within a human and exactly why it had trapped him within it.

At least he wasn't hungry and since that was the case, it meant he would be more than capable of waiting patiently for the next time he was summoned.

Hopefully he'd even get the chance to fight something then.

* * *

And that's it for this chapter.

I will admit, it feels like it's moving a bit too fast, but there is plenty of time and events to cover so... given my usual update rate, I think that might actually be necessary -_-'

But anyway...

Shadow out.


	3. Chapter 3

And I'm back.

Anyway... review response time.

Archleone: Concerning the lack of weapons in Shirou's Marble... that's my bad, for some reason I was thinking of it as being like the Runes from Zero No Tsukaima, only copying things created as weapons specifically... and I didn't consider the idea of the Fujimura having swords on display. However, since it's already been established, I think it can just be treated as a case of him not recording until his circuits were open properly. As for Shirou and guns, I don't recall him ever displaying any issue with them, it's just that he trained in Archery so he stuck with that. The Version of him from EXTRA was confirmed to have quite a collection of guns when he was alive though. As for how Shirou ended up in Tokyo in the first place, that's likely to become a plot point for later on.

DarkLord98: no, Shirou isn't limited to sword wielding demons.

ptl: It would be pointless to use a pre-grail war Shirou if I wasn't intending on him undergoing some form of Character development.

AoiKishi: That... and the weapon market.

Have a Little Feith: This story will take place over quite some time, what with it being 2035 when Shirou showed up... and the events of SMTIV occurring in 2038. The main character of this story is Shirou, but when Flynn and Nanashi make their appearances, they will play major roles. But that will be a long way down the road.

DPSS: He might not, if it wasn't a heavily ingrained habit that he developed and followed for the vast majority of what he remembers of his life, because his adopted father said he should hide his magecraft without actually telling him **_why_** he should hide it... just that he should.

Anyway, that's all for now.

* * *

Shirou could do little more than release a sigh of contentment as he stretched and rose from his bed.

It had definitely taken some work, but he had finally managed to deal with the numbness that came from the involuntary opening of his magic circuits.

Of course, the fact that he currently had a demon taking up residence in one of them was still uncomfortable, though he could feel himself growing used to it.

Looking down to the case he had been given, he quickly opened it before pulling out the padded armour contained within and starting to put it on.

It was surprisingly heavy, and also rather cumbersome, it was obvious that the armour was designed almost purely for defence with no real thought behind quick movements and agility.

But that was something he could probably fix.

Sparing a quick look towards the other occupants of the room, he confirmed they were all still asleep before saying a couple of words and concentrating.

"Trace On."

With those two words, he activated one of his magic circuits and started to moved the Prana into the gear, reinforcing it before starting to alter it's form, spreading the weight more evenly across his body and loosening up the joints to grant himself more flexibility.

The armour would probably be less protective after these modifications, but the magecraft reinforcing it would probably make up for any deficiencies in that defence.

Now that his armour had been altered to fit him better, he picked up the sword and strapped it to his waist before putting the handgun within easy reach holstered on the other side of his hip.

Sure he had never used a gun before, but he'd probably get plenty of practice with it in a world like this.

He would still need some basic training with it before he felt comfortable using it though.

At least there would probably be plenty of people capable of giving him advice and information given how commonly used they were in this era.

Finally feeling ready for the day, he proceeded to leave the room noting that Hana was not yet in her little booth as he made his way to the Hunter Association to see if there were any jobs he would be able to take.

The Hunter Association was clearly less busy than it had been the other times he had entered it… not surprising given the time of day it was right now.

However, he wasn't the first Hunter there, rather there were already a few who looked like they hadn't yet properly woken up or hadn't even gone to sleep.

"You're up early," the bartender, a much younger man than the usual one spoke casually and Shirou found himself rubbing the back of his head out of habit.

"Yeah, I don't usually sleep that late," he said with a shrug, "so… uh, how do you take jobs here?"

"Do you have a phone?" the bartender asked and he found himself releasing a sigh as he knew exactly where this conversation was going to go.

"No."

"Then you probably should just leave them," yep, it was going exactly where he thought it would.

"I've already had this conversation with several other people already," he stated bluntly, "I know what I'm getting myself into already, so just tell me how to get a job."

"They're downloaded onto a phone via Bluetooth," the bartender said with a blank stare, "so you pretty much need a phone to see the available jobs."

That… was problematic.

Though in the end, it just meant that he would probably have to gather resources when he was trying to help people instead of getting payment for helping them.

So it was probably a better situation anyway.

Provided he could learn who needed what help.

"Well, I guess it could be worse," he admitted with a shrug before hearing the door open behind him.

"Oh, Emiya-san, you're awake," he immediately turned to face Hana as he entered the bar-like room with a surprised look on her face.

"Good morning Hana-san," he responded without hesitation.

"You feeling better today?" she asked him as she walked over to the bar, and he found himself nodding in response.

"Yeah, so I was going to see about getting a job here but…" he trailed off.

"You don't have a phone to accept them with," she ended for him, earning a nod of acknowledgement from him.

"Yeah, guess I'll just have to gather things to make up for the lack of payment," he said, causing her to shake her head in the negative.

"Actually, I got something for you… just need breakfast and maybe… a morning coffee?" she told him while clearly questioning the barkeeper over the availability of the caffeinated drink.

"We still have some left," the man told her with a shrug.

"Great," and with that confirmed, she watched the man move to prepared a morning meal for her.

Shirou couldn't stop himself from wondering just what she meant about having something for him, from the way she spoke about it, it sounded like it would be something to help him accept the jobs at the Hunter Association but he was under the impression that getting a hold of a phone was a hard task at the best of times.

"Hana-san, you said you had something for me," he decided to ask, earning a chuckle from the woman.

"Yep, I got a phone you can use," her response made him frown.

"I thought you said," he started only for her to cut him off.

"That you can't get your hands on _Smartphones_ without entering a waiting list," she said while placing emphasis on the part about the phones, "but there are older models that can't run the Demon Summoning App that _can_ still send and receive messages and accept the files containing job info… those are generally not thought about since they're practically useless without the App."

Shirou found his eyes widening at the implications of that.

He could summon demons on his own, so he didn't need the App, which meant that he could easily use phones that weren't being horded by the organisations littering Tokyo.

"But you… I'm sure you could get some use from one," she continued and he found himself sighing in gratitude.

"Thank you Hana-san," he let out with a smile, after all, getting paid for helping people would allow him to spend more time actually helping people instead of hunting for money he needed to survive.

"Don't thank me yet," she told him with a tired smile, "I've got a job for you in exchange for it.

Shirou found himself focusing on her at those words.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked and she immediately started to tell him.

"I want the meat of a Katakirauwa," she told him and he could do little more than stare at her blankly, "uh… they're… uh… are you familiar with something called a pig?"

Shirou found himself blinking at that.

"Uh… I know they eat pretty much anything," he responded with confusion.

"But do you know what they look like?" she asked him and he found himself frowning.

"Why wouldn't I?" he said and immediately noticed the way the bartender seemed to slip up when he said that, while Hana looked at him in surprise before a look of realisation crossed her face.

"Oh yeah, you're from…" and at that, she trailed off before shaking her head clear, "sorry, it's just that the people about my age and younger tend to have no reason to learn about them."

No reason…

Shirou found himself inwardly frowning at that statement. It made sense that in a place like this, some knowledge would be lost due to lack of necessity.

"I mean, when I first saw a picture of a pig in an old book," she continued, "I remember my first thought was that it looked like a Katakirauwa… but I guess it'd be the other way around for you, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," he admitted with a soft smile, "so I take it I just have to look for a pig-demon then."

"Pretty much," she confirmed for him.

He wouldn't complain if he was just hunting for some demon pork.

"Any idea where I can find one?" he decided to venture, earning a shrug from the woman.

"They usually wander between here and Kinshicho," she told him without any hesitation, "and on top of that, I've also heard that they're really weak, so killing one should be really easy."

"Are you seriously sending this guy out without protection?" the bartender spoke up, "as weak as a Kata is, there are other things out there that are more than capable of killing a human."

"He's killed a Lham Dearg without a phone," she told the man, earning several blinks of surprise off the man, "plus, there's apparently something else he's capable of that makes going out safer for him than normal people."

The bartender seemed uncertain but released a sigh of defeat before handing over a bowl of… something and a mug of coffee.

"Thanks," and with that, the woman that was going to give him a phone started to eat, "have you already eaten Shirou?"

"Ah, not yet," he admitted with a shrug, "I was more concerned about how to find a job."

"Well, I remember hearing that breakfast," she started and he decided to finish it for her.

"The most important meal of the day," she seemed almost amused by the fact that he knew about it, "I know, back home I always made sure to make as filling a breakfast as possible."

Saying that made him remember the absence of Taiga but he pushed that down, he had more important things to do than mope about the life that no longer existed for him.

"Then get something, you're going to be a Hunter now right? So you're going to have to make sure you're up to snuff," she told him and he found himself smiling before ordering his own meal.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou had to admit, his new phone was certainly more high tech than he had expected.

He had never gotten a Cell-phone before, preferring to use phone booths or his house phone to contact others, but he hadn't expected what he had been given.

It was small and he had initially thought it lacked a keypad, before finding out that it slid out into a full keyboard.

And while the phone couldn't run the Demon Summoning Program, it did at least have a way of storing and reading the information that was used to hand out "quests" as the Hunters liked to call them.

Of course, the fact that he already had one he was expected to fulfil was a double edged sword.

On one hand, it gave him some way of being useful, on the other, it meant that the rest of the jobs he'd managed to download from the Hunter Association were something he'd have to put on hold for now.

 _ **Alright Emiya-san, in exchange for giving you this phone, I want the meat of a Katakirauwa.**_

 _ **They're usually found between Ueno and Kinshicho.**_

 _ **Since this is for myself, I only need the one corpse.**_

It certainly wasn't the most exciting job that was for certain, and he had the feeling he probably wasn't going to be doing much in it, but it was a job at least and he wasn't going to turn down one, especially when he had already been paid for it.

And so he found himself waking along the street, his weapons at his waist as he readied himself for any potential attack.

The streets themselves made him feel uneasy, he didn't know if he'd ever get used to seeing the run down roads, the torn vehicles and what he was certain was decades old bloodstains littering what should've been a vibrant city, bustling with life.

He could feel unease permeating his body as he continued to walk along through the area, unsure if the unease stemmed from the world he was currently in, or if it was like it was back when Lham Dearg had attacked…

And with that thought he felt for the resistance in his magic circuit and pushed it out in a flourish of Golden Lightning once again.

"Oh? I see you chose to summon me once more," the distinctly Scottish voice called out and Shirou found himself once again swallowing nervously.

"Yes, I have," he stated firmly, as the sword wielding demon looked around the area.

"I see you have no escort this time," it stated bluntly and he nodded, "then shall I assume that you chose to bring me forth to ensure your safety here?"

"Ah… more like, make sure I'm not ambushed or outnumbered too greatly," he responded after taking a couple of seconds to think over what he was going to say to the demon.

"Very well, if that is your command then it shall be done," the legless ghost-like demon stated with a strength of will that made it clear it had no reservations over obeying the instructions.

"Uh…" he really didn't know how to respond to such a firm decision to aid him but he finally settled for a simple response, "thank you."

The demon seemed to almost scoff at his thanks but he released a breath before moving further to the East and towards a small bridge that separated the Ueno region from the Kinshicho area.

Looking to his left, he saw what the people of the city called 'Sky Tower', which he would admit was a rather appropriate name for it given that the building was tall enough that what was obviously a viewing platform was almost embedded in the Ceiling, while lots of what he could only assume was rock shaped itself around and down the tower.

The fact that it was there, meant that he would have to cross a bridge to his right before he reached Kinshicho.

He eventually came across the bridge and found himself crossing it without any confrontation, something he found to be unusual given that he had been expecting to see at least one demon by then.

Traversing the streets caused him to grow even more uneasy as he slowly came to the conclusion that it was simply too quiet.

Which most likely meant an ambush.

Stopping in the middle of the street, he started to look around, searching for any indication that there were stalkers trailing him.

"Is there a problem Master?" Lham Dearg asked and he found himself frowning in response.

"It's too quiet," he stated bluntly, earning a nod off the demon.

"Understandable," the demon stated and he found himself focusing his attention on it, "we are currently on a quiet road… most of my kind would choose to stalk areas with more activity."

Shirou could do little more than release a sigh of defeat at that explanation.

"I was told that something called a…" he chose to pull out his phone and read his job post before trying to say the name of the demon, "Katakirauwa, could usually be found around here."

"Naturally, if they go anywhere with more competition, they'd get eaten," the Scottish Demon stated without hesitation, "they are the weakest of demons after all."

Shirou found himself frowning at that.

He was beginning to wonder if Hana had given him this job just so he'd accept the phone rather than because she actually wanted the meat.

But he had already accepted the job, so he'd get a Katakirauwa even if it wasn't that dangerous.

Turning his attention back to the road, he proceeded to continue on his way towards Kinshicho, trying to ignore the feeling that permeated his being.

"Were you looking for a Katakirauwa?" he immediately looked at the sword wielding demon that was pointing in a direction to the side, "because there is one there."

Looking in the direction that was indicated, Shirou immediately noticed what he had previously missed.

And he instantly understood what Hana had meant by it looking like a pig, since the only things separating it from one were the facts that it had one ear, scars on its body, dark purple skin and the fact it was floating a few feet off the ground.

"Thank you," he told the demon before pulling his sword out of its sheath and making his way towards the pig demon.

It didn't take long before the demon he was hunting noticed him and then glanced behind him before it started to back off.

Shirou almost grimaced as he noticed it moving away, clearly it wasn't going to attack him or Lham Dearg but he wasn't going to let it escape.

He started to rush towards it only for it to flee at a pace that outstripped his own.

That made him grimace, he had hoped it wouldn't be fast enough to escape but it seemed that was wishful thinking.

So he had two choices to try and deal with it.

The first was to use Reinforcement to enhance his body beyond its normal limits, an ability he wasn't confident in his ability to perform without damaging his muscles.

And the second was to use the gun strapped to his waist.

He wished he didn't have to make that choice, the 'training' he had managed to get with the firearm could easily be summed up with 'take off the safety, point it at your enemy and pull the trigger'.

That was nowhere near as thorough as he had hoped it would be.

But right now, he didn't really have a choice but to use it if he wanted to catch the source of food he was aiming for.

Pulling it out, he found himself focusing, his breath evening out as he pointed the barrel towards the target.

Clenching his finger, he was almost brought out of his trance by the crack that came with the firing of the weapon, but the result was clear as he heard a squeal of pain as the best stumbled at the hit.

He couldn't stop himself from continuing to rush towards the demonic pig as it began to move quicker once again.

And so he took another shot.

This time, it didn't just stumble, it proceeded to hit the ground before starting to crawl away.

He was beginning to regret this mission.

Sure it was going to become food, but it didn't stop him from feeling bad about killing it given how pathetic it was right now.

"Sorry…" he said as he reached it and prepared to strike it down with his sword.

"Then why are you doing this?!" his eyes widened as the demon cried out in coherent Japanese.

He found himself freezing as he realized the demon wasn't just like any other animal.

"Sucker," the next thing he knew, the demon lunged off the ground and directly at him, only to be struck by a sword that came from next to him, severing its head with a single swift motion.

"W-what?" he turned to see Lham Dearg, its sword still extended and a frown marring its face.

"Why did you hesitate?" it sounded confused but Shirou was more concerned about the fact that he could feel another one of his Magic Circuits being clogged up as something new bound itself to it.

He already understood what he was feeling.

"Master, I shall ask again, why did you hesitate?" Lham Dearg spoke once again and this time, Shirou released a sigh.

"I wasn't expecting it to talk," he admitted, "I thought it was just like an animal."

"You left yourself open to attack," the sword wielding demon stated firmly and Shirou simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hearing it talk made me feel bad about hunting it down," he told the Scottish Ghost with a frown.

"Foolish," his eyes narrowed at that, "even the least violent of demons won't hesitate to mercilessly slaughter you if you display any sign of weakness."

Shirou found himself averting his eyes from the impaled demon, as much as he wanted to say otherwise, he wasn't as familiar with demons as the being that was currently bound to him.

"Well… thanks for saving me," he decided to say grudgingly.

"Keep your thanks," the demon stated with narrowed eyes, "you are more useful to me alive, as such, if you wish to thank me, do your best to not die."

The third-rate magus simply let out a sigh of defeat as he heard it claim that.

For all its helpfulness, Lham Dearg was still only doing what it did because it benefitted itself.

And so, with that thought in his head, he turned to the corpse of the pig-like Katakirauwa and proceeded to pick it up by the legs, he would have to carry it all the way back to Ueno, but as long as he didn't come across any aggressive demons on the way, it wouldn't be that hard.

And if he did, he at least had Lham Dearg there to help him fight.

"Well… I guess it's time to return to Ueno," he said without any fanfare as he started to walk back along the road he came along.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Travelling along the road in a demon-infested, post-apocalyptic, underground Tokyo was an experience he wasn't all that happy with when things went quietly.

At least when it was quiet, all he had to worry about was the paranoia that burrowed into his brain.

"Master, I suggest we run," he heard Lham Dearg state without hesitation as he came across a ten-foot tall, ram-headed giant with a white wool coat and grey skin.

"HUMAN DIE!" the demon cried out as it smashed its enormous fists against the ground where he had been standing just a second prior to the crushing blow.

"We're not running," he told the Scottish Swordsman without hesitation, sure, his quarry was still slung over his back like a sack, but this foe was clearly too dangerous to leave be.

"Master, I feel that is an unwise decision," his personal demon told him without any hesitation in its tone, "that is a Fomorian, an Irish Giant that existed alongside the Tuatha Dé Danann."

Shirou couldn't really care about what the foe was, outside of the fact it was attacking him simply for being human.

Which meant it was dangerous to anyone that came across it.

"STOP RUNNING AND LET ME CRUSH YOU HUMAN!" Shirou found himself staring blankly as he moved away from the giant sheep-person, if it honestly thought he was just going to stand there and let it kill him, then it was even more stupid than it looked.

Releasing one pair of the Katakirauwa's legs, he pulled out his handgun, took aim for the beasts eye and pulled the trigger.

He almost grimaced when his shot hit its target perfectly, causing a spurt of blood to come from the injured socket.

"GRAH! HUMAN STOP FIGHTING BACK AND LET ME KILL YOU!" it cried out in clear fury.

Shirou found himself both amazed at how little being shot in the eye did to it, and unimpressed by the complete idiocy the foe was displaying.

"Can you stop complaining about how bad an idea this is, and just help?" he asked the swordsman who simply let out a sigh of defeat before rushing up to the Fomorian and cleaving at it with a move that felt familiar.

"GRR… LITTLE DEMON DIE!" the Irish titan stated without hesitation as it moved its arms to strike down the Scottish Ghost.

Shirou made sure to shoot the back of its head while it was turning, knocking it off its swing in the process.

"BAD HUMAN!" the beast declared, "HUMAN KEEPS FIGHTING INSTEAD OF DYING!"

And once again, Shirou found himself wondering if the demon even knew anything other than complaints about humans.

So he shot it again.

"OW!" he was definitely beginning to wonder if he had a natural talent with a gun now, what with how he hadn't missed a target even once with it.

However, he was definitely beginning to see why his current ally had advised against fighting the beast, given how easily it seemed to be shrugging off what should be fatal strikes.

And then he felt his blood run cold as the foe managed to land a strike on Lham Dearg.

Just one hit.

That was all it took to knock the demonic swordsman down, though it was at least clear that the Scottish Ghost was still alive even if it was obviously injured by the strike.

Without a seconds hesitation, Shirou found himself tugging on the tether that connected it to his magic circuit, forcibly dragging it back in before deciding to drop the Katakirauwa to free himself from the burden as he pulled out his sword.

He silently wondered how Lham Dearg would react to being dragged out of the fray but dismissed those thoughts from his mind.

Dealing with this monster was a far more pressing concern at the moment.

"SMALL DEMON VANISH?!" the sheep like monstrosity cried out in clear confusion, "WHERE SMALL DEMON GO?!"

Moving away from the Katakirauwa corpse, Shirou proceeded to shoot the creature he was facing off against again, an action that drew its attention back to him.

"HUMAN MUST DIE!" it cried out without a seconds hesitation, the disappearance of Lham Dearg clearly stripped from its mind as it charged towards him.

He already knew that the beast wasn't slow, it was actually rather fast all things considered, the only reason he was capable of dodging it before was because of how much it telegraphed its attacks.

So it didn't come as a surprise to him that it managed to strike out too fast for him to evade, forcing him to try and block the strike… an action that was effortlessly crushed through as he found himself being thrown back several feet.

"NOW HUMAN BECOME FOOD!" he really wished the beast would stop yelling like that.

He was certain he was bruising from the strike, though he was also certain the impact had somehow been softened by something given how far he had been thrown from the hit.

Probably the armour.

So he pushed himself to his feet.

"HUMAN STILL ALIVE?" it actually sounded genuinely confused but he pushed that out of his head as he considered his options.

He was clearly not inflicting enough damage to the beast to take it down, on top of that, he was alone and the demon was faster than him so he couldn't really keep his distance without a distraction.

There was only really one option he could think of but even that was risky.

But definitely not as risky as becoming this beasts punching bag.

"Trace On."

Opening his circuits, he started to mould his prana throughout his body, filling in imperfections in his muscles and allowing it to flow into both the sword and gun in his hands, reinforcing everything far beyond their standard levels.

He waited for any tearing that might happen from overloading, but outside of a pinprick sensation that permeated his whole body, he couldn't identify any serious issues caused by the power flowing through his body.

Even so, he would have to end this quickly.

Pushing off the ground with his reinforced muscles, he jumped backwards as he took aim and shot another round into the beasts head, this time the foe staggered at the strike before regaining its balance and rushing him once more.

This time however, Shirou's reinforced body allowed him to react far faster than before.

Dodging under the beasts swing, he struck out with his blade, severing the muscles in the creatures arm before darting out of its range.

"GAH! HOW DID HUMAN GET STRONGER?" it asked as it raised both of its arms into the air, despite one of them being in a state where it should be impossible to move it move it normally.

Shirou felt himself swallow nervously at that as he came to a simple realization.

Demon bodies didn't work like human bodies.

It would explain why a bullet to the eye caused such little damage to the creature… it was simply a case of it not really being any different to hitting its gut.

Which meant that precise aiming wasn't going to help that much against demons.

At least, that seemed like it might be the case.

Given that he had noticed the enemy stumble from being struck in the head, it was possible that he was partially wrong.

Taking a deep breath, Shirou put his gun back into its holster as he decided to try and inflict as much damage in a single strike as he could, putting both of his hands on his blade in a manner reminiscent of how Lham Dearg struck the beast.

Putting all of his focus into the situation at hand, he watched as the giant demon charged at him once again, waiting for it to get within range.

One strike.

"GRAH!" all of his strength, poured into a single cleave that struck true, sliced straight through the body of the ram-like demon and his eye twitched.

"Not again…" he found himself groaning as he felt a new tether attach itself to his last free magic circuit, leaving him with three circuits that felt like they were now clogged up by a demon each.

He just hoped it would stop now that he had no more free.

Releasing a sigh, he noted that the Fomorian's body was still there, just as the Katakirauwa's had remained and even Lham Dearg's had been left lying on the street back when he first killed it.

That alone made him question exactly what he was doing to them that made them enter his magic circuits.

He shook his head clear, he wasn't an expert on any of that stuff, so he would just have to push it from his mind.

Plus, even if his demons were inhabiting his circuits, he could still feel the prana flowing around them and could still use it if the fact his reinforcement was still active was anything to go by.

Releasing the flow of prana through his body, he let out a grimace as the needle-like stinging remained.

He would definitely have to rest when he got back to Ueno.

But for now, he just picked up the pig-demon's corpse and started back on his way to the underground he had woken up in earlier that day.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Lham Dearg was unsure of what to think.

His master had recalled him to wherever he was kept in the middle of a battle against a demon above what they should've been risking themselves against.

However, he couldn't stop himself from watching on at what was happening before him.

"ME NOT HUNGRY NOW."

"Good, cause I'm not too fond of being turned into a pork casserole."

"SOUND TASTY!"

"Piss off you oversized Lamb Chop!"

When he had first been recalled, he had been mildly surprised to find a Katakirauwa within the field of limited blades, more specifically, the very same one he had slain for his new master.

But then, the surprise was when the Fomorian that had managed to hit him hard enough to knock him back had appeared too.

Which meant his new master had somehow managed to defeat it without any further aid.

It also raised the question of if his master would be gaining every demon he defeated or not.

However, he doubted he'd remain relevant for long so he would simply have to impart whatever teaching he could before the boy decided to keep him in this world.

Hopefully he'd at least get more swords to look at over time.

"Oi! You, Lham Dearg!" he was pulled from his thoughts by the voice of the rather obtuse Katakirauwa, "where the hell are we?"

"I do not know," he admitted without shame, "I know merely that this is where the demons my master slays exist."

"You mean that sucker of a kid?" it asked and he found himself nodding without hesitation.

"Indeed, he was rather adamant about saving a stranger when we first encountered each other," it was an obvious statement really, "he even told me that he hesitated to kill you because he did not know your kind could speak."

"HUMAN STRONG," his attention was drawn to the Fomorian, "GOT UP AFTER BEING HIT BY ME… THEN GOT STRONGER AND KILLED ME."

That… was a surprising statement by the Irish demon.

The mere fact his master survived was unusual enough given what he saw of the boy's ability when they fought together.

But the idea that he got stronger after being hit, combined with this strange world…

He couldn't stop a smirk from gracing his face.

It seemed his master was hiding something.

Now the question was, how to find out exactly _what_ he was hiding and why he was hiding it from everyone.

He would just have to wait until he was summoned again.

* * *

And that is all for now.

I honestly wasn't initially intending on Shirou getting into two fights this chapter... but the idea of him only encountering one foe was... ridiculous given the setting.

Honestly, him only encountering two is still incredibly low.

Also... it would appear that uploading this removed some of the Underlining I put in the document I wrote it in... I tried to add them to denote when a demon is talking but I'm not completely sure if I got everything...

Anyway...

Shadow out.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, I'm back.

This chapter should've been uploaded over 12 hours ago but the system on the site decided it wouldn't work.

Even now, I'm only able to bring you this due to a workaround of the system rather than anything else.

Anyway, I will answer some questions left in the reviews, but I am **_not_** going to answer the questions that have already been answered in previous Author Notes.

So...

Jasonwu: This fic is based off of Shin Megami Tensei 4... it has _**nothing**_ to do with the Persona Spin-Offs and fusing demons into weapons is generally restricted to those games these days.

The Rupture: That is assuming every demon only takes up one circuit.

DarkLord98: There is a lot there that I'm going to just say "wait and see" concerning... also, thank you for pointing out the formatting removal that I missed.

DPSS: Look, the simple fact of the matter is that I don't see Shirou being comfortable talking about that stuff. And you mention that Shirou was instructed about the 'Moonlit World' but from what I remember, he **_wasn't_** , he didn't know about the Church, the fact there were other Magi in the same city etc... so while Fanfiction may like to pretend he was told, there isn't really anything in canon that gives the impression he was.

As for Shirou getting NP's... not in the immediate future.

And with Shirou projecting Kanshou and Byakuya, that doesn't really say anything about his ability to record weapons given that he had already started synchronizing with Archer when that happened.

Now... onto the actual story.

* * *

*Thud*

Shirou stared blankly at Hana as he placed the corpse of the Katakirauwa on the counter just outside of her stall.

"Here you go," he stated as he let out a tired sigh… his entire body was still stinging after all.

"You look like shit," her comment only made him sigh more, "how much of a fight did this thing put up?"

"You didn't tell me it could speak," he stated with a hint of annoyance seeping through his tone.

"Even so, I'm surprised it managed to push you as far as it clearly did," her statement made him blink as he realized what she was talking about.

"That wasn't the pig," he told her without a second thought, "it was the Fomorian I got into a fight with that did this."

"… a Fomorian," she repeated blankly.

"Yeah… you know, giant sheep demon, very aggressive," he stated only for her to cut him off.

"I know what a Fomorian is," she stated with an eye twitching in clear irritation, "what I want to know… is did you try to run?"

He could do little more than stare at her in response.

"It was dangerous," his statement seemed to make her sag in relief, "of course I wouldn't run."

She facepalmed.

"You frickin' idiot," she stated with a bland tone that conveyed her displeasure at his statement, "if something is dangerous, then you're supposed to run."

"Yeah, well I'm not going to run from something dangerous," he told her firmly.

"… Are you sure you're not a Gaian?" she asked, "because that sounds like something one of those guys would do."

"I told you, I'm not even from this time," he responded without a seconds hesitation.

"Yeah… doesn't stop you from coming off as being like those psychos in the Ring of Gaia," she stated without any hesitation, "refusing to back down from a strong opponent, just because it would make them 'weak'."

"That's not like me at all," he said with total conviction, "I fought it because it was a danger to anyone it came across."

"It's still idiotic," the response was clear and Shirou found himself simply choosing to give up trying to convince her otherwise.

"Well… I'm still alive and it is…" he was about to say dead, but he wasn't entirely certain that was correct.

"… don't tell me you've somehow managed to pull another Lham Dearg," the shopkeeper said with a blank expression, causing him to release a sigh of defeat.

"I think so," he admitted, "I haven't actually checked yet, but I think I can summon it… and the Kata."

"… okay, then can you summon the Katakirauwa?" she asked him and he released a sigh as he checked the Circuit with the least resistance before pushing it out.

A flash of Golden Lightning signalled the summoning of the demonic pig, though Shirou found himself somewhat surprised by the lack of concern the residents showed to that display.

"YA BLOODY MUTTON BASTARD!" Shirou found himself blinking in surprise at the first words that cried out upon the creatures summoning, "… wait… where the hell is that Fomorian asshole?"

"So… I think it's safe to say that you've probably got the Fomor too," Hana stated with a wry grin as everyone stared at the pig-like demon.

"I guess so," he admitted without hesitation.

"And it's corpse is still here too," she pointed out with amusement, "I wonder if that body will stick around as well."

"Wait… what?" the demon sounded almost worried now, especially when it looked at its own corpse, "oh hell no! I don't want to be used as a stew!"

Shirou found himself releasing a sigh as he heard that.

"Not your choice pork chop," Hana stated with an amused smile, "besides, this body's long dead so why does it matter what we do with it?"

Shirou found himself frowning at that.

If the demon's original body was still there, then did that mean that the body he was summoning was just a projection?

And if it was, then wouldn't that have caused Lham Dearg to vanish upon that hit from the Fomorian?

It also made him wonder what would happen if one of his demons died while summoned… would they just return to him or would they die for real?

"Hey, Hana-san," he decided to ask, causing the woman to turn her attention back to him, "Katakirauwa are some of the weakest demons out there aren't they?"

"Oi! I resent that!"

"Yeah, why?" her response was quick and clear.

"Because I'm wondering what will happen if a demon I have dies," he admitted without hesitation, causing the creature to freeze.

"H-hey! C-come on… you're not still sore over me attackin' you are ya?" the demon sounded almost worried.

"Well, if you lose a Katakirauwa… well, no one wants to recruit one anyway so it won't hurt," the shopkeeper stated without hesitation.

"C-come on…. I'm sorry for calling you a sucker, just stop talking about that okay?!" it was definitely worried and Shirou found himself releasing a sigh.

"You know what, I give up," he admitted, "killing you would make me feel bad… again."

"Oh, thank you ," the creature said in response, "you truly are kind, and merciful and a great master!"

Shirou felt his eye twitch at that way the demon said that.

It sounded far too sycophantic to be genuine.

"Stop it," he stated firmly, "you're just making me want to try it out anyway."

That shut the demon up.

Looking back at Hana, he found her staring blankly at him.

"Seriously?" she asked and he found himself frowning in confusion, "it admitted to calling you a sucker… and you still fall for its lies?"

"H-hoi!"

"I'm not falling for its lies," he stated without any hesitation, "I'd simply feel bad about killing something so pathetic."

"… I don't know if that's better or worse," the pig-like demon stated with uncertainty clear in its voice.

"Worse," Hana answered it without hesitation before turning back to him, "you sure you don't want to find out what happens to it when it dies? I mean, if its already lost one body then what's the problem with it losing another?"

"H-hey! Shut up lady!" the demon cried out before it started to splutter.

Looking at his food type demon, Shirou had to blink when he saw a familiar hunter sticking a knife into the back of its head.

"S-Sosuke-san? Why did you do that?" he found himself asking even as the pig fell to the floor and he felt the tether to his circuit pulling something back in before his prana started to drain slowly enough that he probably wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been paying so much attention to it.

"You seemed to be having trouble deciding what to do," he stated with a shrug before kneeling down to the Kata's corpse, "so what happened?"

He wondered how to phrase it but eventually settled on a vague description.

"I think I still have it… but it seems like it needs to recover," he admitted after a couple of seconds.

"Really?" the man sounded almost amused, "do you know what that means?"

He had to blink in confusion at that.

"You've got your own personal meat vendor," the man continued with a smirk.

Shirou honestly didn't know how to respond to that.

He wasn't too fond of the idea of summoning a demon just to eat it after all.

"Heh, remind me to give you a call if I ever feel like pork again," Hana spoke with amusement of her own and Shirou found himself sinking at the fact he was now being treated like a butcher.

"Yeah, he could make a killing selling pork bowls," the hunter said and Shirou found himself releasing a frustrated sigh.

"Look, I don't want to just summon a demon so I can eat it," he pointed out earning a snort off Sosuke.

"Shirou," Hana however sounded far more serious, causing him to turn his attention towards her, "I get it, you're not used to this, but you're going to have to learn to start taking advantage of whatever you can if you want to survive here… so don't dismiss the possibility of eating your Kata… keep the option open just in case you have no other choice."

He couldn't stop himself from looking away from her.

She was right after all.

This wasn't a world he was used to and as much as he might want to value whatever demons were under his command as more than just food, there was no guarantee a famine wouldn't hit and he would be forced to eat the pig and that wouldn't really be fair.

He blinked at that thought.

"Uh… hey, I have a question for you," he started to ask, causing the two who he was talking to, to look at him with raised eyebrows, "are Fomorians edible?"

"Yeah, though they can be a bit tough to chew," Hana told him after a few seconds of thought, "they don't have a bad flavour but they don't beat the Pork of a Katakirauwa… or the lean muscle of a Nue, or the sweetness of a Mamedanuki's scrotum."

Shirou found himself coughing violently at that last one.

"You okay?" she asked him and he found himself looking at her.

"Can't you just call it a Skin like everyone else?" Shirou found himself turning to face Sosuke as the man asked that single question.

"I have a feeling Shirou doesn't know what it is," Hana said with a smirk directed towards the other man.

"Oh come on, who doesn't know that's what a Mamedanuki Skin is?" the man claimed and Shirou decided to pipe in.

"I didn't," the mere fact that the man was treating it like it was a perfectly normal thing was probably the worst part of the whole situation… it wasn't like he hadn't heard of people cooking and eating such things before, but never in such a casual manner that denoted it as a daily occurrence.

The man looked at him with disbelief clear in his eyes but Shirou decided he would rather change the topic.

"But even so, I get the feeling I'd feel better about killing my Fomorian than I would my Katakirauwa," he stated without reservation, at least with the Fomorian, it wasn't constantly putting up a pathetic front to make itself look pitiable.

"As long as you're willing to put up with the toughness of it then that's your choice," Hana stated with a shrug before continuing, "now why don't you go and get something to eat and rest up, you look like you need it."

Releasing a sigh, Shirou found himself simply accepting that idea as he bade the two farewell and made his way to the Hunter Association.

He would just have to be careful to avoid anything with Mamedanuki in it.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou wouldn't lie, the stinging was definitely an issue.

It was simply not dying down anywhere near fast enough and he was left with the serious question of how much damage he had caused from reinforcing his body.

And that is why, for the first time since he arrived in Tokyo, he was getting a medical check-up off a demon.

A beautiful woman with long blonde hair that fell far past her ankles, pointed ears and a long, dark blue one piece dress.

The demon of the Femme Race, Leanan Sidhe.

"So… what's wrong with him?" Sosuke asked as he watched his demon working.

"… it is… confusing," the demonic woman stated with a frown, "I have never seen anything like this."

Shirou found himself growing nervous as he waited for the results, with Hana and Takeda watching over despite his wish that they weren't there with them.

"Why?" Takeda asked with a frown of his own.

"His body… well, his soul at least, is reacting very strangely to the presence of MAG in it," the demon stated with a frown, "it is as if it is collecting it into a trio of channels designed to contain something else."

Shirou found himself growing concerned at that statement.

Was it possible that she meant his Magic Circuits?

If so, then could that mean that the reason his prana felt different to before be because there is something else mixed in with it?

"W-wait, don't human's produce MAG?" Hana asked with a frown of her own and Shirou found himself growing even more confused.

"Small quantities," the demonic lady responded with a frown, "however, not only is he not producing any himself, but he's drawing in relatively large quantities from the environment and focusing it into channels where it seems to mix with something else."

This was definitely a difficult situation for him to deal with, hopefully he'd be able to lie his way out of it.

"To put it bluntly… the stinging he is feeling, is MAG poisoning," the pointy eared woman finished off, "however… even then there is something that doesn't add up."

"What do you mean?" Takeda asked and the woman released a sigh.

"His MAG is mostly contained within those channels, it may leak slowly, but the damage should be contained to that area… but the MAG poisoning is affecting his entire body as if it came into contact with everything, but there is nothing I can find that would suggest how it happened," the Leanan Sidhe explained with her frown returning full force.

"But then… how did it happen?" Hana asked with a tinge of concern permeating her voice.

"… I think Emiya-san here already knows how," the demon stated and he found his eyes widening in shock as he found himself looking at her in surprise, "whenever I mentioned channels, he reacted with concern, but there was a distinct lack of confusion… meaning he already knows what they are."

Shirou found himself swallowing nervously at that.

Back when his father had started to teach him about magecraft, he had been warned to never reveal it to anyone because it always drew more trouble than it was worth.

And here he was, stuck in a situation where he was being ousted as a magus in a world where such a thing would probably attract even more danger to him.

"I thought he was hiding something," Sosuke spoke up with a wry smile, even as both Hana and Takeda gave small chuckles.

"You don't say," the sarcasm in the other hunters voice was so thick it could block an armour piercing bullet, "I never thought the guy that could summon demons without an app might have some stuff he isn't sharing with us."

Shirou found himself grimacing at that particular remark.

It wasn't really that hard to figure out when he thought about it.

"But anyway, Lea, is there anyone you can think of that might be able to help?" Sosuke asked and the demon shook its head in the negative.

"No, there may be someone capable of helping out there… but no one I am aware of," the demon stated with a bland tone.

"So he's destined to die of MAG poisoning?" that statement alone made Shirou frown.

"… I cannot say for certain," the demonic woman stated with her frown returning, "something about his body seems to be granting him some form of resistance… but I don't know enough to make a reliable conclusion."

That was definitely worrying.

If he was constantly having to deal with this poisoning every time he used reinforcement then that would naturally cause issues with holding his own against the demons out there.

But that wouldn't stop him from doing what he could to help people.

He clenched his fists in conviction as he rose from his seat.

"Thank you for that information Leanan Sidhe," he said before he prepared to avoid whatever questions were bound to come his way about his abilities.

"You are most welcome Emiya-san," the femme responded with a nod of satisfaction, "though if you are not averse to the possibility… I would like to ask for you to provide me with some MAG."

Shirou didn't know how to respond to that one.

"Doing so will help you recover from your poisoning," she claimed before continuing, "and feed me as well."

Shirou found himself easily identifying which was the more important part of that to the demon.

But he released a sigh before holding out his hand.

"Fine," and with little more than a couple of blinks of surprise, the female demon took a hold of his hand before he spoke those two words that helped him focus, "Trace On."

The Leanan Sidhe almost immediately jerked in surprise as he started to flow his prana into her hand, before her eyes widened and stared at their connected hands.

Pushing out as much as he could, he found himself forcing even the demons contained within his circuits into her being, discovering that the tether remained though the power was drained.

Upon emptying his reserves, he could feel little more than exhaustion claiming him, and to make matters even worse, it hadn't even helped in relieving the stinging in his muscles at all.

"That… was certainly a lot of MAG," the demon stated with a couple of raised eyebrows, "though you clearly pushed something else into me… hold still for a little while."

Shirou continued to hold on until he felt something that made his eyes widen in shock.

Prana.

The demonic lady was pushing his prana back into his body, however, this time it felt _right_ … it felt the same as it did back when he used his nerves as circuits before he appeared in Tokyo.

And within a few seconds, he found his circuits full once again and the stinging in his muscles dying down.

"How did you do that?" he asked earning a smug expression from the demonic muse.

"I am a being of Magnetite, separating foreign substances and forcing them out of myself is nothing special," she proclaimed easily and Shirou found himself almost chuckling at her haughtiness.

"And why did you return that to me?" he decided to ask, wondering just why she didn't just release it into the air.

"Because whatever it is, your body is producing it instead of MAG," her answer was quick and to the point, "meaning it is natural to you… and likely to help you recover faster."

Shirou could definitely agree with her assessment.

"Now, as your medical advisor, I would recommend having your channels drained of MAG on a regular basis and your… whatever you call it, returned to you immediately afterwards," she stated firmly, "there is no guarantee as to whether that will help in the long run or not, but it is the best treatment I can offer you."

Shirou honestly found himself somewhat surprised at the fact she declared herself to be his medical advisor, but she was the closest thing he had to a Doctor in this world.

However, that didn't change the other issue he would have.

"So… Shirou," Hana spoke and he found himself wanting to leave, "you obviously know what this stuff is… are you willing to share?"

Her wording made it sound like she was expecting him to say no.

"Sorry, but it's not something I want to talk about," and she was right.

"Well, that's your choice," Takeda said and he found himself looking at the man with a frown, "guess it explains why you didn't want someone looking over you earlier either."

Shirou wasn't sure how to feel about that.

They weren't pressuring him into revealing what knew and despite everything, he found himself feeling like he should tell them… but Kiritsugu had told him to keep it a secret.

And he trusted his father.

"Look, if you want to keep it a secret, then we won't tell anyone about this," Hana said without hesitation, followed by the two men nodding in agreement, "just… if you ever change your mind about telling us, we'll be willing to listen."

And now Shirou felt himself feeling bad about not telling them.

Sure they were still practically strangers given how short an amount of time he'd known them for, but it was still hard to think of them as such given how… close, they were to him already.

"Sorry," he found himself simply apologizing again, before finding himself inwardly shivering at the unsettling laugh that came from the lips of his new 'medical advisor'.

"Hoh, I would suspect you were trying to come off as mysterious if everything about you didn't scream otherwise," Leanan Sidhe sounded amused as she said that, "it would make you quite the interesting lover."

Okay, now Shirou wanted out.

"You are not taking a lover," Sosuke stated firmly, "it never ends well for them."

"I merely said he would make an interesting one… but he is no artist," she replied without pause, "and I only take artists as my consorts."

Shirou didn't stop himself from releasing a sigh of relief at that statement.

"Well, my battery is running low now," the Hunter that summoned the woman finally said before a flash of blue lightning appeared around the blue dressed woman, prompting her disappearance, "I'm going to recharge my phone now."

That statement made Shirou frown before remembering that most Hunters used a phone to summon their demons.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about his demons vanishing in the middle of a fight due to running out of power.

"At least I don't have to worry about that," he responded out loud.

"Yeah, you're a lucky bastard with the whole 'you killed it, you bought it' deal you have going with your demons," Takeda said with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Oh yeah… I'm so lucky I'm apparently slowly dying of poisoning from a substance I've never heard of before," he responded with the blandest tone he could manage, earning a bit of a grimace from the man, "anyway, I'm going to go and get something to eat… see you later."

And with that, he left the room and made his way back to the Hunter Association.

He wasn't going to let this poisoning stop him from helping people after all.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Getting missions from the Hunter Association wasn't something he was particularly used to, what with how he had only ever gotten one before and here he was, sitting with four options available to choose from.

They included, collecting some light bulbs for one of the rooms, make a delivery to Ikebukuro, kill some demons named Jack The Ripper or deliver 10 Mamedanuki 'Skins' to a restaurant… that last one made him shiver in disgust.

In the end, his decision was clear.

He had officially accepted the 'Slayer Quest' as they nicknamed it, with the simple goal of killing ten Jack the Rippers and collecting their heads to prove they had been dealt with.

He would probably feel worse about going on a killing spree if his targets weren't literally named after one of the most infamous Serial Killers in all of history.

Leaving the underground of Ueno, he found himself uncertain of what to do but steeled himself before calling forth Lham Dearg once more.

"I see you have chosen to bring me forth once more," this time Shirou found himself looking at the demonic Scotsman with worry at the tiredness of its tone, "now explain to me why we suddenly felt our Magnetite being ripped from us?"

He couldn't stop himself from grimacing at that.

He had just thought about himself and the fact he was apparently poisoned when he had passed his power over to Leanan Sidhe, never truly considering what it would mean for the demons in his circuits.

"Sorry," he said before the demon cut in.

"I did not ask you for apologies, I asked for an explanation," it said with narrowed eyes, "I am tired, and I am hungry, you would do well to fear me right now."

"I'm apparently suffering from something called MAG poisoning," he stated almost immediately, causing the demon to breathe in deep before letting it out slowly.

"And so you removed it to help yourself," it said and Shirou found himself nodding once even as he prepared himself to activate his circuits as he kept his hand near his sword.

Silence reigned as the demon kept its eyes closed before eventually opening them once more.

"Very well, I shall accept that reasoning," it claimed with a firm tone, "however, if you wish to remove the Magnetite from your body, be careful to _not_ remove the MAG of your demons… it is liable to get you murdered."

He wasn't sure if doing that would hurt his long term health… but his short term issue was probably a little more important for just then so he found himself releasing a sigh as he found himself making an agreement.

"I'll try to avoid that next time," he said before feeling himself relax slightly upon seeing the Scottish Soldier releasing the tension in its form, "how is the Fomorian doing?"

From what he remembered, the Katakirauwa had been summoned arguing with something he called 'Mutton Bastard', so it was likely that all the demons he slayed ended up in the same place.

"It was doing well enough to become semi-docile," it told him before glaring at him, "until someone thought it would be a good idea to rip our MAG from us."

It was obvious it was a jab at him and he found himself averting his eyes with a grimace.

The sound of air being cut caused him to dodge to the side and grab the hilt of his sword, as the blade of the Scottish Swordsman stopped just short of where his head used to be.

"While it is good to see you can dodge off guard," the demon stated firmly, "averting your eyes is still a foolish action."

Shirou found himself gritting his teeth as he considered the fact that the blade wouldn't have actually hit him if he hadn't have dodged… but that didn't mean the demon hadn't really tried to kill him and stop upon realizing he had dodged.

All of a sudden, the one demon he had previously somewhat trusted had turned on him and he didn't know if he _should_ trust the demonic warrior.

"Now, for what reason did you summon me," it asked and Shirou found himself unsure if he should trust it.

"Why should I trust you after that stunt you just pulled?" he asked it and it simply let out a satisfied grin.

"Correct question," it claimed and he found himself narrowing his eyes, "but if you truly didn't then you would've recalled me by now."

Shirou was definitely considering it.

"Who says I won't?" he asked and it simply smiled.

"Go right ahead," it told him without hesitation, "as long as you remain alive, you are useful to me… and given what the Fomorian told us, I think it's safe to say you know more about what is going on than you like to pretend you do."

He found himself freezing at that claim.

"After all, for a human to suddenly get 'stronger' after being hit is not normal at all," it continued, "and let us not forget the fact that you can summon us without training as if it is nothing special to you."

Yeah, it was pretty obvious when it was put that way.

"So I think it's safe to say that you are probably less likely to die than a normal human anyway," it claimed with an almost malicious smirk.

He found himself inwardly grimacing at that declaration.

The one good thing was that there was no-one within earshot.

"Now, what will you do?" it asked and he found himself wondering just what made the most sense.

It had attacked him when he had averted his eyes… but it had previously saved him from an attack when his guard was dropped… and beyond that, it was obvious it knew he wasn't normal now, meaning it probably expected him to dodge that attack.

So maybe it really did mean it as little more than a wake-up call.

Releasing a sigh, he decided what he would do.

"Fine," he acknowledged, "I need to kill ten 'Jack The Rippers' so I'll probably need your help."

"Is that so… then it might make sense to summon Fomorian as well," the swordsman told him and he stared at the demon blankly, causing it to release a sigh of its own, "if we are killing Jacks, then that means we can eat them… that will calm your Fomorian down."

He blinked at that before weighing the potential for it to go horribly wrong.

In the end, he made his decision.

With a flourish of his hand, a flash of lightning appeared, revealing the massive sheep-like demon he had previously defeated not that long ago.

"FOMOR HUNGRY!" it cried out immediately, "HUMAN FEED FOMOR!"

"I'll feed you Jack the Rippers as long as you don't eat the heads," he decided to try and barter with it before it attacked him.

"BUT HEAD BEST PART!" it cried out in anger.

"Then you can have any head we get after ten," he prepared himself to drag the demon back into his circuit, only for the monster to stall.

"… TEN HEADS FOR YOU?" it asked before Shirou found himself stalling slightly as he realized something.

"Actually… you might be able to get the heads anyway," he told it, "but I need to show them to someone before you eat them."

"TEN HEADS MINE?!" it sounded rather enthusiastic about that possibility and Shirou found himself nodding in acknowledgement.

"Yeah," he told it without hesitation, even if he failed to convince the client to let him keep the heads for his demon to eat, he could just try to hunt down more after.

"LET'S GO!" it cried out and Shirou noticed the nod from the Lham Dearg directed towards him.

Hopefully, this wouldn't prove to be a mistake.

Now, he just had to find Jack The Ripper.

He just hoped it was easier to find than the real one.

* * *

And that's all for today.

I don't have anything else to say right now so without further ado...

Shadow Out.


	5. Chapter 5

And here I am again.

So without further ado, let's just get on with the chapter.

* * *

Shirou could do little more than stare blankly at the Barkeeper as he put the sack of Jack heads on the counter.

He had not known what to expect when he had started hunting down the demons that went by the name of possibly the most infamous serial killer in history… but he had definitely not expected to see what he had come across.

They were short, dressed in black, with black hats and carrying knives… but it was their head that surprised him.

They also just so happened to have dark grey skulls with stitches connecting their jaw to their skulls, blank white eyes and no skin.

Removing their heads was actually made really easy because of that.

And to make matters even less complicated for him, none of them had ended up bonding with any of his magic circuits, so he wasn't having to run around with them in his body.

"So… you took the quest to slay the Jacks," the Barkeeper asked even as his eyes seemed to drift between the two demons that were still following him, "here's your pay… now I'll just get rid of these skulls."

"FOMOR GET SKULLS!" Shirou couldn't stop himself from releasing a sigh as he heard the Irish Giant cry out, even as the barkeeper jerked in clear surprise.

"Sorry, I promised Fomor that it could eat the Jack heads once we were done with them," he admitted with a sigh of defeat.

"Y-yeah… take 'em," there was no hesitation as the man handed the sack of skulls over to the demonic sheep that immediately started to pull them out and take bites out of them, "just don't make too much of a mess."

Shirou found himself releasing a sigh as he moved towards a table even as his new phone vibrated in his pocked and he pulled it out, finding that the list of jobs had been updated, with the quest to slay the Jacks no longer anywhere to be seen.

Taking a seat, he proceeded to browse through the list of available jobs before counting his earnings.

One Thousand Macca.

Not as much as he had managed to make scavenging but it would definitely be enough to live off for a few days at least… and on top of that, he had made the streets a little safer as well, which was probably even better compensation as far as he was concerned.

"Uh… excuse me, but do you think you could dismiss your demons?" a random Hunter asked him and he found himself blinking before looking to see that Fomorian had finished it's snack.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," and without much of a thought, he once again felt for the tethers that bound the demons to him and pulled them back into his circuits.

"What the?" the hunter looked confused but Shirou paid him no mind as he once again turned to his phone and the list of potential jobs available.

There were the three he had not taken earlier still available, however now there was a new one.

Looking at the job description, he found himself frowning.

Apparently there was a hunter who was looking for help in clearing out a demon from a certain area so they could get their hands on something located there.

The payment for the job was also unlisted, meaning it was probably not going to be all that impressive.

But…

Well, they wanted help.

Rising from his seat, he moved over to the barkeeper.

"So, who do I need to talk to about this job?" he asked as he showed the man the job's listing on his phone.

The man looked at it before raising an eyebrow.

"You realize that that job isn't going to pay much right?" the man asked and Shirou found himself nodding in acknowledgement, "well, it's your life… Nozomi! You've got someone interested in your job!"

The man yelled and Shirou found himself looking at the person who reacted and made their way over at the call.

It was a young woman, probably only a couple of years older than him if he was to have a guess. Her hair was long and blonde, though the dirt ingrained into it made it look darker than it actually was.

Her clothes consisted of plain red biker leathers with a strap that held a shotgun within easy reach of her hands, and a makeshift strapping on her arm that held her phone, while a rather bulky camera hung around her neck.

"Hey!" she called out upon seeing him, "so… you're the one that's interested in my request?"

She didn't sound too sure but he nodded in acknowledgement, earning a grateful smile off the woman.

"Thanks," she responded immediately, "so… I take it you want the details."

She didn't sound too confident about that but he simply nodded in acceptance, he had already decided he would help this person so he wasn't going to back out now.

"Well… there is a domain set up around a place that I found out has… something I want," she said while nervously glancing towards her camera.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was after.

"Ah, battery or film?" he asked without hesitation, earning a few blinks off the woman in surprise.

"Film," she said with a bit more confidence in her voice, "I… I spent most of my money searching for the location so I can't really give you that much of a reward-"

"That's fine," he said before she could finish, causing her to look at him in shock, "I'm not doing this for the reward, I'm doing this because I want to help people."

She looked genuinely surprised by his claim but that quickly gave way to a soft smile.

"That's rare," she said without hesitation, earning a shrug from him.

"So I've heard," his response was made just as quickly.

"Well then," she sounded far more comfortable now that she knew his reasons for taking her job, "are you ready to go?"

He nodded in confirmation, even though he had only just finished hunting down the Jacks, dealing with them with both Lham Dearg and Fomor on his side had been relatively easy.

Well, once he got past their nimbleness at least.

"Great," the woman said as she motioned out the door, "then let's get going, uh… sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Emiya Shirou," he told her without hesitation, earning a small frown off the woman.

"You have a family name?" she asked him with curiosity clear in her tone, "not many people our age have them these days."

Shirou found himself somewhat surprised by that claim, the fact that no one had really bothered with it before had made him think it was perfectly normal for everyone to still have a family name.

"Yeah… I thought it was normal," he admitted with a shrug, earning a confused stare from the woman.

"Well… I guess that's a difference in culture between districts," she responded with a shrug, "here, they didn't bother giving us family names… there weren't enough of us for it to matter after all."

Shirou found himself inwardly grimacing at that.

The mere thought that they considered it pointless to give a child a family name since there were so few people that it became irrelevant just further cemented the fact that this time was so much worse off than his own.

"But anyway," she continued, "pretty sure you already know this, but my names Nozomi… I hope we get along."

Shirou simply nodded in acceptance of that greeting.

"Yeah," and with that said, he proceeded to leave the Association with the red clad Hunter, ready to deal with whatever demon was protecting the camera film.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou could do little more than stare as he stood outside the so called 'Domain'.

He was getting the impression that no one had thought to explain the concept to him properly.

"Uh…" he wasn't sure how to respond to the writhing, skin-like wall with a glowing portal leading within, "is that a domain?"

"Never seen one before?" the blonde asked with a hint of concern in her voice, "I guess you're pretty new to all this then."

"Y-yeah… I only really started yesterday," he admitted as he tried to wrap his head around the fleshy wall that stood before him like it was trying to mock his understanding of the world.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she definitely sounded unsure now, "once you're in a domain, getting out isn't easy and we don't have any real idea of what will be waiting inside."

"Yeah," he had already made up his mind that he would help her with her request and even if it was dangerous, he found himself unable to feel like it would right to turn back.

"I can't tell if you're overconfident or ignorant," she said and he found himself acknowledging her point, he probably did come off as one of them with his response to the idea of entering the heart of a demon's lair.

"I agreed to help you," he stated resolutely, "and I'm going to help you."

"… I guess there's no turning back now is there?" she asked him with a small smile tugging at her lips, "thank you for this Shirou-san."

Upon finishing that conversation, Shirou proceeded to step forward and into the twisting space that existed before him, feeling his insides jerk like he had just been thrown about by Fomor, even as he stepped out on the other side.

"So… how was your first trip into a domain?" she asked him and he found himself steadying his breathing in an attempt to not vomit at the sensation still plaguing his body.

"I feel like I've just been on a particularly violent roller coaster," he admitted without pause.

"… a what?" Nozomi sounded confused but he simply shook his head clear before dismissing her question.

"It's nothing," his response was clearly not what she wanted to hear.

"It sounded to me like you said a roller coaster," she spoke and he simply looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"So?" he didn't understand why that was such a big… deal…

Oh… of course, someone his age should have no idea what a roller coaster was like.

The fact that the woman was clearly about to reach for her shotgun made it clear that what he had said had been the wrong thing.

"Sorry," he said without any further words, "I'm just a bit behind the times."

"You don't say," she sounded far less welcoming of him now, "care to explain why you're talking like you've experienced a roller coaster?"

"It's a pretty simple story that involves spontaneously waking up in a completely different city about thirty years in the future," he stated bluntly, earning a few blinks from the woman.

"… you call that a simple story?" she sounded nonplussed by his blasé response to her question.

"Given that that is pretty much all of what I know about it… yeah," he stated immediately, "so are we going to deal with this domain or not?"

She didn't look too sure of what to do but eventually pulled out her shotgun and rested it on her shoulder.

"I guess I don't really have any choice but to trust you right now," she admitted before speaking up again, "also, it's probably a good idea to summon your demons now."

He nodded before feeling for his demons in his magic circuits and waving his hand as he pushed them out.

Admittedly, the waving of his hand wasn't strictly necessary, but it was something he had started to associate with summoning his demons so it would probably help him later on.

When Lham Dearg and Fomor appeared in his customary golden lightning, he heard a sharp intake of breath coming from the direction Nozomi was located.

"I see we are in a domain," the Scottish Demon said without hesitation.

"FOMOR GET TO FIGHT AGAIN?!" the Irish Giant asked in its usual yell.

"Yes, you'll get to fight again Fomor," he told it without hesitation before turning to Lham Dearg, "and any thoughts on this situation Lham?"

"I feel that the human behind you is wary," it pointed out without missing a beat.

"How did you do that?" the blonde asked with wide eyes.

"That… isn't something I'm willing to share," he admitted as he glanced away from her.

It was obvious that she wasn't sure what to think but after a couple of seconds she seemed to regain her bearings.

"Well, I suppose the fact you haven't attacked me yet is a good sign," she acknowledged even as she motioned down the fleshy corridor, complete with artery-like protrusions, "let's get going."

"Wait," Shirou called out, causing her to look at him warily, "aren't you going to summon your demons?"

The nervous shifting she made at that question immediately told him everything he needed to know.

"You don't have demons do you?" her grimace was clear to him.

"Sorry… I'm not that good at negotiating with them," she admitted, "and on top of that, I spend so much money trying to track down stuff for my camera…"

He didn't really care about that.

Instead, he found himself making a decision as to what to do.

"Lham Dearg," he spoke with a tone that he hoped came off as commanding, "I want you to make sure Nozomi-san is kept safe."

"Understood master," the demonic swordsman responded immediately before moving closer to the woman, "I shall do my best to ensure not a single hair on her head is damaged."

Shirou didn't expect the demon to actually succeed, but simply hearing it make that claim made him feel better about fighting through this area with her.

"Uh… thank you," she honestly sounded surprised, maybe his decision to send one of his demons to protect her wasn't something she was expecting from him.

"Don't worry, I feel better knowing you're safe," he said without a second thought even as he started to walk down the twisted corridor that made up the Demonic Domain.

It only took about half a minute to come across something that made him tense up.

A Starfish shaped demon with one giant eye in the middle of its body… the part that made him wary however, was the fact that there were three of them.

"Oh? What do we have here?" one of the demons spoke with pure malice dripping from its tone, "some lost Hunters and their pet demons."

Shirou found himself unsheathing his sword without hesitation even as the group of Starfish like demons somehow managed to float in an aggressive manner.

"Well… this should be easy," he heard Nozomi say without hesitation, causing him to glance towards her.

"Arrogant wench! You think you're something special?!" the same demon that had previously spoken said with the malice increasing.

"Shirou-san… don't be too worried about these guys, they fall like flies when facing guns," she claimed even as she pointed her shotgun at one of them and fired.

The muzzle flare was naturally loud and Shirou found himself cringing slightly as he felt his eardrums suffer from the noise emitted by the weapon.

But given how one of the demons was immediately torn apart by the shot, he wasn't going to complain about it too much.

Instead he simply drew his own handgun and followed her direction concerning the demon's inability to handle gunfire.

"FOMOR DO NOTHING?" the sheep-like demon seemed to ask with confusion in its tone even as the last of the starfish like demons was removed from the battle.

"Sorry, but those guys were pretty easy," he pointed out with a grimace.

"Ignore the Fomorian," Lham Dearg stated immediately, "it was simply saying that it didn't do anything, not complaining."

Shirou found it hard to accept that explanation given what he knew of the giant.

However, he decided to dismiss it before moving through the labyrinthine, extra-dimensional space.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Time passed by as the group moved through the Domain.

As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't really doing all that much given how easy the Decarabia's moving through the hallway were to deal with.

Honestly, Nozomi could've probably done this on her own from what he had seen so far.

After all, guns seemed to tear through the demons like they were wet paper and she had a shotgun and hadn't missed a shot yet.

"So… we're here," the blonde said as they reached a short hallway with a door at the end.

"What do you mean?" he asked, earning a determined look off the woman.

"The heart of the domain," she stated firmly, "where the demon that keeps it together resides."

Shirou found himself immediately focusing on the door now that he knew where it led, after all, if the Decarabia's were simply wandering around it, then it naturally meant that the demon sustaining it would be far more powerful than them.

"I guess we need to be careful then," he commented even as they walked closer to the door.

"Yeah," her response was clear before she offered him a small smile, "but at least it isn't going to be slaughtering us before we can do anything."

"What makes you think that?" he asked with a frown.

"Because the presence of a domain attracts weaker demons to it," she told him easily, "so if all we've fought are weak Decarabia, then it's safe to assume that the Master of the Domain isn't that much stronger."

Shirou found himself nodding as he processed that information.

It would certainly be useful to know in the future.

"So, are you ready?" she asked him and he nodded.

Without another word, Shirou moved and opened the door, revealing a large room filled with the same pulsating bulges in the walls.

However, what he noticed more clearly was the group that was gathered in the centre of the room, clearly waiting for them.

There were six individuals in the room, five of which looked the same and the other clearly acting as if it was the most important one there.

The five minions were all strange blue skinned humanoids with long, banana shaped noses with pink tips, whiskers protruding from their cheeks, a green turtle-like shell on their backs, webbed hands and feet, and lastly, a long tail with a small fin running underneath the tip.

The one that stood out though, was another humanoid, this time with green skin, pointed ears, massive eyebrows, black hair styled into a pair of horns, a couple of small wings erupting from its back, while a small tail fell down behind its legs, as well as a green suit, white socks leading into old style European shoes and a large green pendant that covered most of its body and was decorated with a dollar sign.

"I see we have new guests," the demon with the wings said with a tone that denoted it was far less of a ruffian than the other demons he had faced before, "tell me, why have you come here?"

"We're here for the film that's supposed to be here," the red-dressed hunter said without hesitation, "I suggest you hand it over while you still can."

"No, no, no… such blatant barbarism will not do," the little man said with an air of exasperation, "when you seek something from someone, then it is only natural to conduct a transaction."

Shirou found himself blinking at that.

Was this demon actually giving them a chance to resolve this peacefully?

"No deal," the shotgun wielder responded immediately.

"Come now little girl," the creature sounded rather annoyed by her instant refusal, "you haven't even heard out my deal yet."

"You're a Melchom," the more experienced hunter stated without hesitation, "any deal you make will screw us over."

Shirou found himself wondering just why she was so confident on that.

"That is a rather poor outlook to have on my species," it responded with a tone denoting it was not pleased with the generalisation.

"Well I refuse to be conned out of everything I have by _another_ Melchom," Nozomi's response made it clear she was not going to negotiate.

Of course, the addition of the word 'another' made it clear she was talking from experience.

Before the demon could say anything else, the shotgun went off once again and the six enemies responded by moving.

"Lham, make sure Nozomi is safe," he commanded even as he pointed his gun and fired.

The shot hit but it was obvious that the weapon was nowhere near as useful against these foes than it was against Decarabia, as it struggled to penetrate the scales of the target.

"FOMOR SMASH!" Shirou found his attention drawn towards the sheep-like demon as it charged the creatures before lashing out at them.

While a couple of them were thrown away, they both got back up without much difficulty, clearly much more capable of handling the raw brute force that Fomor could bring to bear.

However, Shirou quickly noted that there was a much bigger problem.

Specifically, the fact that the demon Nozomi had called a Melchom had thrown a fireball at the giant and for all Fomor's bulk, it was obvious that it couldn't handle the heat.

Unsheathing the sword at his hip, Shirou charged towards the fire slinging demon, even as he noted that Nozomi was continuing to shoot at the blue demons while Lham Dearg attempted to keep them away from her.

"Trace On."

With those two words he would prefer to not have to say, he pushed his prana into his muscles and felt the now familiar tinge of Magnetite Poisoning seep into them.

With speed beyond what was humanly possible, he rushed the demon that seemed to be caught off balance by his sudden rush.

It didn't stop it stumbling out of the way of his slash.

"Look out!" the call from the woman he was there with caused him to roll forward and pass the Melchom, only just avoiding cutting himself with his sword as he noted the blue creature that had just landed where he was before.

"Damn, you're fast for a human," the winged demon said with a sense of amazement, "but you're not getting another shot like that."

Shirou ignored it as he simply took another swipe at the imp-like demon while keeping the blue one in the corner of his eye, quickly ducking out of the way of its attack when it tried to interrupt his attempt on the Melchom.

Once again, he found himself failing to strike the demon before having to move out of range due to the other demons attempts at hitting him.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, he used his free hand to pull out his gun once more and fired it at the pendant wearing demon, hitting it directly in the head and causing him some level of relief at knocking it back even as he swung his sword at the long nosed creature.

He found himself grateful that he managed to hit it, though the damage was still relatively low, it was enough to cause it to stagger backwards in surprise.

Chancing a quick glance at the rest of the battle going on, he noted that Fomor was struggling to fight off the two demons that were facing it, while Lham Dearg was struggling with the two that were facing him, though at least he didn't have to deal with a co-ordinated attack.

And that was courtesy of Nozomi, staying behind the Scottish Swordsman and taking pot-shots at the two demons attacking him whenever there was an opening.

Shirou found himself considering summoning Katakirauwa to aid Fomor, but quickly dismissed it, he didn't really have an opening to do so and on top of that, he doubted the pig-like demon could actually do anything to help the Sheep-monster.

Turning his attention back to the two demons he was facing off against, he noted that they had just regained their footing and he found himself doing something he really shouldn't be doing anymore than he already was.

"Trace On," he spoke softly as he channelled Prana into the sword held in his hands, if it had been capable of harming the blue skinned demon without reinforcement, then it would probably do a much better job with it.

"Seriously," the Melchom said with annoyance clear in its voice, "what is with you saying that?"

Shirou didn't respond, instead he simply rushed the clearly amphibious demon with his sword ready to lash out at it.

Once again, he found himself moving out of the way of a peripheral attack, this time a fireball sent his way by the pendant wearing demon, only to find his other foe lashing out at him.

Then he felt the pain.

It was only something minor, the feeling of his skin being ripped through as the blue demons claws cut through his non-reinforced armour… only to scratch on _something_ he couldn't identify, causing a sound that he could only describe as _grinding_.

It was enough for him to push through the minor pain and stab the beast, his reinforced blade cutting through its skin like a hot knife through butter, impaling it before he levered it to cut open the demon pulling his weapon free.

"GRARGHH!" the cry of pain was clear even as the demon fell to the ground, bleeding out too fast to be saved.

And with one down, he turned his attention back to the obvious leader of the group.

The Melchom looked frustrated as it once again lobbed a fireball at him, but this time he simply found himself cutting through it with the sword in his hand.

In the end, the reinforcement behind the blade was greater than the power of the fireball itself.

Pushing off the ground, he charged at the demonic banker and focused on landing a decisive blow.

It launched a new fireball at him and he once again cut through the blast with his prana infused sword even as it continued to move away from him.

Furrowing his brow, he pushed prana into his gun and fired at the demon, causing it to stagger far more than the last time it was hit.

That was more than enough for him to descend upon it with a single strike that cut straight through it's neck.

The effect was immediate, with the demon supporting the domain defeated, he could feel it losing consistency even as he turned his attention towards the demon still harassing Fomor.

Another prana infused shot fired out and struck one of the long nosed demons, causing it some damage and allowing Fomor to strike it fully.

The end result was a rather messy smear on the ground.

Checking up on the demonic swordsman that was meant to be protecting his client, he found himself feeling a sense of relief at the fact that the two had managed to take out one of their enemies and the other was having a hard time facing down both of them.

And so, he simply cut off the prana running through his body and weapons, feeling the tingling that denoted he was being infected with Magnetite start to stabilise, before he moved to support the Irish giant.

Even as he did so, he noted the realm they were in dissipating around them, causing him to speed up as he tried to finish off the demons that were still there.

In the end, it didn't take long, requiring only that he distract the creature for Fomor to finish crushing.

And once that was done, he found himself turning to look at the final demon just as a shotgun blast tore through its head.

"Well… I guess that does it," Nozomi spoke without hesitation even as she watched the area warp back to being just a regular storefront.

Shirou found himself a bit more surprised that they hadn't had to escape the area.

"Ah! There it is!" and with that statement by the blonde, she immediately rushed over to a small box containing what was probably little more than ten packs of camera film.

He found himself frowning at how little there was.

However, upon looking at her expression, it became obvious that he was only thinking that because of how abundant it had been back in his time.

Because right now, Nozomi looked ecstatic about her haul.

"Hey… thanks for helping me with this," he was brought out of his thoughts as she spoke to him with a small smile.

"It's no problem," he responded without thinking.

That simply seemed to make her smile grow.

"Now, about the payment," she said only for him to shrug.

"It's fine," he didn't really think about it as he said it, "I've got enough to live off so you don't have to worry about it."

If anything, his response seemed to make her smile diminish.

"… do you have a phone?" she asked even as she glanced at the demons he had previously summoned.

"Yeah," he admitted immediately.

"Okay then, can you show me?" she asked him and he found himself frowning even as he pulled it out and let her examine it.

"Wow… I thought no one used models like these anymore," she commented even as she pulled out her own phone and started to push buttons on both of them, "but then again, most people can't summon demons without the app."

He found himself feeling confusion even as she handed his phone back to him.

"There," her words were spoken with an air of finality, "now, if you ever need help with something, feel free to send me a message."

He found himself frowning as he tried to process what she meant before a realisation dawned on him and he checked his contacts list.

And just as he suspected, there was a new contact registered in the phone.

Nozomi.

He found himself surprised by that, after all, he hadn't expected her to add herself to his phone, so far the only contacts he had were the three who had already been in it when he got it, which were Hana, Takeda and Sosuke… and the one he had added when he first got the phone and Hana taught him how to work it, the Hunter Association.

"Why?" he asked with confusion.

"You helped me and even now, you're not asking for anything," she responded with a sad smile, "that's a rare thing, and I'd like to see more of it, so if you ever need help, let me know and I'll do what I can."

He didn't know how to respond to that declaration and didn't have the time to think of a response before she spoke again.

"But for now, why don't we get back and have something to eat," she said without pre-amble, "I can at least give you something that simple right now."

Shirou found himself wondering if it would be worth his energy to disagree… but instead, he simply found himself suppressing a flinch as he once again felt the prickles of Magnetite Poisoning seeping through him.

"Okay then, Lham Dearg, Fomor, thanks for your help," he said before recalling them to his circuits and turning to Nozomi once again, "when we get back, I've got something I need to do."

"I'll be in the Hunter Association so just drop by when you're finished with whatever you're doing and we'll get something to eat," she told him with her smile still there.

Shirou thought about arguing, however, he quickly remembered how the last time he tried to turn down a friendly meal had gone.

"Y-yeah," he said even as he started to move back towards Ueno, "thanks, Nozomi-san."

* * *

And that's all for today.

Shadow out.


	6. Chapter 6

Well... here we are so first things first...

Here is my gift to you for the Vernal Equinox.

Second thing... let's get on with the chapter.

* * *

Shirou waited with bated breath as Leanan Sidhe finished returning the Prana to his Magic Circuits after their latest session of extracting the MAG from his system.

At least this time he had made sure to avoid the essence that formed the demons in his circuits, but he would be careful and only summon Katakirauwa to test out whether he had succeeded or not.

"Thank you Leanan Sidhe," he said even as he felt the stinging starting to relieve itself slowly but surely.

"You most certainly should be," she responded without hesitation, "you obviously exposed your body to more of that power than you should have."

He found himself simply releasing a tired sigh at that.

Even if he was poisoning himself, he was at least doing some good when he did so.

"I know, but it's better than failing," he said without any hesitation.

"True," the woman responded without hesitation, "and if you keep doing this then you will certainly give me more MAG to feed off."

He found himself unsurprised by that particular statement.

She was a demon and more inclined to selfish thoughts than a human would be, so it was only natural she would think about what she was gaining from his situation more than anything else.

"And that's the most important thing," he responded dryly, earning a nod of acknowledgement from the Irish Muse.

"Of course," she responded without any indication she had noticed his tone, "after all, the longer you remain alive, the longer I will have a good source of Magnetite."

Well… at least that was a reason why she would want him to remain along the living.

"Well, sorry, but I've got someone to meet," he decided to apologize to the demonic lady and her summoner.

"A client?" Sosuke asked him and he found himself simply offering a shrug.

"Kind of," he couldn't really deny it, "though, we already finished the job she requested."

The way the man blinked made it clear he was surprised by that statement.

Then his eyebrow rose.

"So you're meeting a girl after helping her out?" the man asked and Shirou found himself frowning before his mind clicked as to where the man's brain was going.

"It's nothing like that," he said with a sigh even as he shook his head, "she's just buying me a meal since she didn't have much to offer as payment for the job."

"… why am I not surprised you took it anyway?" the man asked and Shirou found himself raising an eyebrow in response.

"Because you know me?" he found himself asking rhetorically.

It wasn't really that hard to realize he would take that course of action after all.

Sosuke simply shook his head and released a sigh.

"Yeah, I guess that's it," he acknowledged.

"Regardless, you shouldn't keep a woman waiting too long," the Irish Fae said with a firm tone.

"Yeah, I'll be going now," he acknowledged, earning a nod off the two even as he left the room they had occupied for the purification process.

Upon entering the halls that formed the Ueno underground, Shirou found himself wandering towards the Hunter Association, silently taking in the view of the population.

It made him wonder just how he had grown so used to the whole situation so quickly… he knew he had quickly pushed the thoughts of what he had been torn away from to the back of his mind in favour of trying to help others, but the ease with which he had managed to settle in was still something he found strange.

Maybe it was just because he had some basic magecraft training.

Or maybe it was because he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the feeling of there being nothing… the fire had clearly left its mark on him after all.

He shook those thoughts from his head as he opened the door to the Hunter Association and had a quick glance around.

It didn't take long for him to see the blonde haired woman he had helped just earlier… and she clearly saw him if the way she was motioning for him to join her at the counter was anything to go by.

So he moved towards her with a sigh as he came to the conclusion that he probably wasn't going to get out of this one.

"Took your time didn't you?" she said as soon as he was close enough that she didn't have to shout.

"Sorry," he immediately apologized, "I… I just have some unique circumstances that need to be kept on top of."

She simply nodded in response as he took a seat next to her.

"Hey, barkeep!" she immediately called out, drawing the attention of the man running the counter, though he noticed the way the man's eyes quickly drew themselves to him.

"Let me guess," the man spoke with a dry tone, "get the red-head something to eat, on you?"

He noticed the way Nozomi seemed to blink in surprise at that question even as she gave an uncertain nod of her head.

"Yeah… how'd you know?" she definitely sounded confused as she asked that.

"Because you've been waiting for a while now, he shows up and you immediately call for me," the man explained, "plus, it's not the first time another hunter has decided to buy a meal for him."

Her expression seemed a lot less confused now.

"Yeah… I guess it is pretty obvious," she admitted even as the man moved towards the preparation area.

"Anyway, what are you having today Emiya?" Shirou found himself taking a short breath as he heard that question.

"Whatever is cheapest," he stated without hesitation, earning a nod off the man as he proceeded to start on the food preparations.

"I'm surprised," the voice of Nozomi said with a hint of relief in her tone, "I wasn't sure what you'd ask for."

"You sound happy about that," he decided to point out, causing her a offer him a wry grin.

"Well, saving money whenever possible doesn't hurt," she mentioned before rubbing the back of her head, "especially when you've got an expensive hobby like photography."

It was certainly true that saving money was a good thing… and he guessed that simply finding film for a camera in this time period would be a living hell, so naturally it would cost a lot to get information on where it might be.

"Yeah," he simply acknowledged her explanation.

A silence fell between them and Shirou found himself wondering if she was wanting to say anything or not.

Her expression made him think she did but at the same time, she made no moves to do so.

Ah, then again, it might have just been the way this society was raised.

"Do you want to ask me something?" he decided to ask her, earning a sigh off the blonde even as she moved to speak.

"It's just what he said about this not being your first time being bought food by another hunter," her voice sounded uncertain but he found himself simply shrugging.

"It's nothing worth talking about," he immediately dismissed it.

"He saved a hunters life after a demon attacked them back when he was a civilian," the barkeeper stated and he found himself flinching, "that scar on his cheek is the result."

She immediately proceeded to look for his scar before averting her eyes in clear embarrassment at having done so.

"Like I said, it's not worth talking about," he repeated with a small amount of annoyance seeping into his thoughts.

The silence that feel between them after that made it clear that his statement had managed to cut that particular conversation off at the bud.

"You really don't like to be thanked do you?" she finally asked him and he found himself simply averting his eye instead of doing anything else.

"It's not getting thanked that I find hard," he admitted, though he decided to leave the more important part of his thought process out of the equation.

After all, he doubted they'd understand his inability to consider something as obvious as helping someone through something dangerous as being worthy of thanks.

"… you're not going to tell us what it is that you find hard are you?" she asked him and he simply released a sigh.

"Sorry, it's just not something I really want to talk about," he acknowledged even as a bowl of an unknown meat and broth stew was placed in front of him, "thank you."

The bartender simply went on to another hunter and he found himself once again faced with the prospect of eating the food that was available in this city.

Honestly, it looked horrible and he knew from experience that it tasted horrible as well.

"Itadakimasu," he said without thinking before he started to eat the meal at a pace that was probably best described as sedate.

Of course, the fact that it all tasted horrible meant that going for the cheapest would make him feel less terrible about spending money on it.

Another awkward silence passed as he found himself unsure if there was anything left to talk about.

But then, she spoke up once more.

"You mentioned you were from a few decades ago," she spoke and he nodded his confirmation, "did you ever get to see anything special?"

Orange Flames immediately came to his mind but he pushed them out before offering a small shrug.

"Not really, I never really left Fuyuki so the most I got to see was the Ryuudou Temple," he admitted rather quickly.

"Do you regret not seeing more back then?" her voice held an undertone of melancholy and he immediately understood why.

As someone born under the Ceiling, she had never experienced the open sky, or any of the famous landmarks around the world.

But he wasn't like that.

"I have a regret in my life," he admitted, "but that isn't it."

She looked at him carefully before releasing a tired sigh.

"And you don't want to talk about it do you?" she asked with her tone making it clear it was rhetorical.

He just nodded in acknowledgement.

After all, how would someone who spent their whole life surviving in a hostile world understand his regret?

Once again a silence fell between them.

For several minutes, they simply sat with Shirou finishing off his meal while Nozomi simply remained seated next to him.

Eventually though, their silence was broken by someone else entering the room.

"Oh, hey Hana!" he found himself somewhat surprised by Nozomi's call, he had expected her to know the storekeeper but he hadn't expected her to sound so familiar with her.

"Hello Nozomi," the woman responded without any delay, "I see you've already met Shirou."

"Yeah," the blonde haired woman responded easily, "he helped me out getting some film."

"… you didn't pay him did you?" Hana said after a few seconds, with her tone indicating that she already knew the answer.

"It's fine," Shirou found himself saying immediately, earning a blank stare from the shopkeeper even as she took a seat not far away, "I don't need any more money right now."

He noted the way Nozomi frowned at the interaction between himself and Hana, but didn't pay it much attention outside of that.

"So, I'm guessing Shirou not taking payment is pretty normal," the blonde haired woman said with a bit of a frown.

"I do take payments," he said with a frown marring his face, "it just doesn't feel right taking money from someone that needs it more than me."

"And Nozomi probably wouldn't need it as much if she stopped hunting all over for film," the older of the two women said with a blank stare, earning a flinch off the girl in red.

"It's fine," he repeated yet again, "I don't have much I intend on spending my money on anyway, so it doesn't make much difference."

It was obvious that neither of the women were all that happy with his statement, but it was Nozomi's expression that he found more interesting.

She almost looked like she was feeling guilty.

"You know, when you say it like that," the blonde started to say before releasing a sigh, "it makes me feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

He found himself blinking at that.

He could understand why she would feel that way, but in the end, it was his choice to not take payment for the job.

"It was my decision to not charge you," he spoke clearly, "you were planning on paying me when we finished after all."

That seemed to get the blonde to blink before she offered him a soft smile.

"You really are too nice, you know that Shirou?" Hana spoke up and he found himself simply shrugging.

"So why are you here anyway?" Nozomi spoke up and Shirou found himself silently wondering the same thing.

"Just came to drop off a job," the brown haired woman stated without any hesitation, "nothing big, just a courier job."

Shirou wondered if she was directing it towards him and was about to speak, only to find himself getting cut off.

"No," Hana said and he found himself blinking, "you are not taking this job, am I clear Shirou?"

He couldn't stop himself from blinking in surprise at that declaration.

"O-okay…" he wasn't going to lie, he wasn't too fond of the idea of taking a courier job when there were more important things that could be done, however it didn't change one thing that was confusing, "but why don't you want me to take it?"

"Well, I've heard that you went on an extermination quest earlier," she stated with narrowed eyes, "and now I find out that you helped out Nozomi as well... and I'm pretty sure you need some rest before you take another job."

He honestly couldn't deny what she told him, taking two jobs like that had proven rather tiring… especially since he had needed to get help with his MAG poisoning.

"So I don't want you taking it," she repeated again and he found himself nodding easily in acceptance.

"Yeah, I get it," he confirmed, "you don't want me taking it."

"… are you trying to trick me?" she asked with a suspicious frown adorning her face.

"No," he admitted while rolling his eyes, "I'm not that interested in making deliveries when there are more active ways of helping more people."

That seemed to make her blink in surprise.

"Oh…" she clearly didn't know how to respond to that explanation if her expression and tone was anything to go by, "that's… not what I expected."

"So… does that mean you prefer to put yourself in danger?" the red-clad hunter asked and he found himself unable to really answer, leaving an awkward silence that was eventually cut off by her speaking again, "I… guess I'll take that as a yes."

"…" he wasn't really sure how to respond.

On one hand, he would rather continue to live, but on the other, he found himself unable to really turn down a person who needed saving.

So perhaps he would rather put himself in danger.

"Anyway… I think I'll go and get some rest," he finally declared as he rose from his seat, "thank you for the meal Nozomi-san."

"And thank you for your help earlier," she responded quickly even as he started to make his way out of the room.

He still had to check up on Katakirauwa to make sure he hadn't stripped his demons of their Magnetite again.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou wouldn't lie, the next morning didn't start off too badly.

He wasn't completely sore all throughout his body and he had confirmed with Katakirauwa that he wasn't going to have to worry for his life the next time he summoned Lham Dearg or Fomor.

Which left him in a relatively good position to start the day from.

And that in turn, allowed him to enter the Hunter Association with the intention of getting some breakfast and looking at the list of jobs available.

"You again?" the younger barkeeper was back and he found himself releasing a sigh even as he moved towards the counter.

"Yeah," he responded with his tone as dry as possible, "can I get whatever the cheapest meal is."

The man simply gave him a blank stare before moving to prepare whatever it was he was going to end up with.

He just found himself happy that he was refreshed enough that he didn't need any coffee, it would decrease the cost of his breakfast after all.

While he was waiting for nourishment, he pulled out his phone and started to read the available jobs.

He found himself unsurprised that they were all different to the ones from the previous day, what with how there were so many hunters to take them on.

Eventually he found himself being brought out of his concentration by someone sitting down next to him and calling for some coffee before speaking to him.

"Morning Shirou."

"Morning Takeda," he found himself responding easily to the first hunter he got to know.

"I heard you've met Nozomi," the man said and he found himself nodding in acknowledgement, "you know, she's an interesting one, works hard and makes a lot of money, but spends most of it hiring people to find film for that thing that hangs around her neck."

Shirou took a second to process what the man said and found himself speaking before he could think about what to say.

"Camera."

"Yeah, that," the man responded easily, clearly unsurprised by the fact he knew what it was, "so letting her off the hook so easily probably wasn't the best idea."

He found himself frowning again.

Why was everyone telling him that he shouldn't have helped her without getting her to pay him?

"I don't care," he responded with his irritation clearly starting to drip into his tone.

"You don't sound like you don't," the man responded and Shirou found himself staring at him blankly.

"That's because I'm getting annoyed at everyone telling me I was wrong to let her keep her payment," he stated bluntly, causing the man to blink in surprise.

"Oh…" it was obvious that the man didn't really know how to respond to that.

"Besides, would you have liked it if I demanded payment after I saved you?" he asked and the man proceeded to stare at him.

"Uh… you're the one that turned it down," Takeda stated dryly, causing Shirou to blink as he remembered that he had indeed been the one to say no.

Honestly, it made him unsure of how to respond.

"That's not the point," he eventually settled on.

"Do you mean the point that you're a self-sacrificing idiot?" the man asked and he found himself growing a little irritated in response.

Mainly because he found that he couldn't really disagree with the man, but he didn't like it being said that way.

He almost jumped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, prompting him to pull it out and look at the notification he had just received.

A message from Nozomi.

It made him wonder just what she was contacting him about this early in the morning.

 _ **Hey, are you still in Ueno?**_

It was a simple message and he found himself blinking before responding with a bit of awkwardness that came from not being used to typing on a phone.

 _ **Yes, is something wrong?**_

It didn't take long for him to receive a reply from the woman he had only met the day prior.

 _ **Good, can we meet at H A?**_

He found himself blinking in surprise at that request but answered all the same.

 _ **Already there.**_

He was assuming she meant the Hunters Association, but he guessed waiting probably wouldn't hurt.

 _ **Great, I'll be there soon.**_

It really didn't take long for her to enter the room, probably no more than a couple of minutes, and upon seeing him, she quickly made her way over.

"Hello Shirou," she said without hesitation, "hello Takeda-san."

"Yeah… well, I'm off," the man responded almost as soon as she spoke to him, "try not to get yourself killed Shirou."

He found himself blinking in surprise at that but the man was already moving away before he could ask what the hurry was.

The fact that the blonde woman didn't look surprised by the action made it obvious that it wasn't an unusual occurrence.

"Why'd Takeda leave?" he asked, causing her to release a sigh.

"Let's just say we have a little history," she told him and he found himself immediately nodding, the idea that they had previously been dating wasn't something he found all that strange.

"Ah… so he's your ex," he said aloud, causing her to splutter.

"Not that kind of history!" she proclaimed immediately, "I mean he took a job I posted some time ago and it turned out I underestimated the danger involved."

He found himself blinking in surprise at that.

That, made sense as well.

"He's been actively avoiding any jobs I post ever since then," she explained and he found himself nodding, "so he was probably worried I was going to try and recruit him for something."

"So are you going to try and hire me for something?" he asked curiously, causing her to shake her head in denial.

"No, I was actually going to make you an offer," she told him and he found himself watching her curiously, "think of it as a form of payment for your help yesterday."

"It's fine," he responded immediately.

"I know, but this is more practical than monetary," she told him without any hesitation and he found himself waiting for her to explain herself, "you're new here, so I was thinking it might help if you got a tour of the city."

A tour of the city?

That… that might actually help him out.

"Are you sure you want to waste your time on that?" he asked her and she simply shrugged in response.

"Until I get a new lead on Film or locations to visit, I don't have much else to do except try and make a bit of money," she told him easily, "so giving you a tour of the city wouldn't hurt."

Well… if that was the case.

"… then I think I'll take you up on that offer," he responded after a little thought.

"All right then," she sounded almost relieved at his response, "I'll be sure to show you everywhere worth seeing."

He found himself simply offering her a soft smile at how enthusiastic she sounded at the idea of showing someone around.

"First though, I think you should get something to eat," he told her with a bit of amusement.

"Yeah… it'll probably take a few days to show you everywhere worth knowing anyway," she told him and he found himself nodding in acknowledgement.

It made sense that exploring a city entirely on foot would take a few days… especially when having to deal with demons on route.

But at least it would give him some idea of where everything was in relation to each other.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Nozomi was terrified.

This shouldn't be happening.

She had taken Shirou on a tour of the city and as was to be expected, they'd gotten into a few fights.

But now, now he was lying, almost crippled and to make matters even worse, she had no idea _why_ he was in his current state.

The only saving grace was that he had managed to force himself to make it to the nearest underground but as soon as they were safe, he had collapsed.

He had done something on his phone before then, but she had no idea what it was.

So right now, she was having to look over him while they tried to find a hunter with a demon capable of healing.

"Yo, I'm here," a voice called out and she found herself turning to see a hunter she had met back when she had met Takeda.

Sosuke if her memory was right.

"T-thanks for coming," Shirou's voice called out and the man simply whistled.

"Overdone it huh?" the other hunter didn't sound at all surprised by the boy's condition but quickly proceeded to call out a Leanan Sidhe.

"Well, well," the femme said with a sense of amusement, "I wasn't expecting you to reach this state so soon."

She found herself wondering just what was happening and how the two that had arrived were familiar with the issue.

"Y-yeah… we, got into a couple too many fights," Shirou spoke with his voice strained, however she turned her attention back towards the demon as it took his hand.

"You really should learn to limit yourself better," and she found herself watching as the two kept their hands holding for a few minutes before speaking up.

"What's going on?"

"Shirou has unique circumstances that have caused him to be susceptible to Magnetite poisoning," the response from Sosuke made her eyes widen.

She hadn't expected something like that.

"Leanan Sidhe is extracting the MAG from his system right now," the man continued, "so we just have to wait."

Nozomi felt guilt well up in her chest as she realized just why he was in this condition now, the fact that she had taken him so far from Ueno had likely caused more problems than she had expected.

Perhaps he hadn't even thought of it himself.

"Done," Shirou's voice spoke up and she found herself looking at him as his visage displayed clear exhaustion.

"Good, now for step two," and with that, the two continued to hold their hands together.

"Uh… what's going on now?" she asked, only to find silence greet her.

"Sorry… it's just one of those things I don't want to talk about," Shirou's voice eventually responded and she found herself deflating at that statement.

"If it wasn't for my examination of your internal systems, I am certain no one would know right now," the demonic lady said without hesitation, "and all done."

"Thank you, Leanan Sidhe," the red-head said with a tired sigh.

"That is simply the process done," the woman stated and she found herself focusing on it, "I want to see if this condition has caused you any permanent damage."

She could see the nervous gulp that Shirou made at that declaration, even as the Irish demon proceeded to put her hand on his chest and close her eyes.

Time seemed to move slowly as she watched the blonde haired creature starting to frown, before eventually the hand was removed and the pointy eared woman looked at Shirou with creased eyebrows.

"So how are things?" Shirou asked with a resigned sigh, even as he continued to lie on the rags that he'd been placed on.

"… strange," that was not sounding good.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked and she noted the way the frown marring the demoness's face creased further.

"Not enough," that statement made her blink in surprise, "your body should have suffered some damage but there isn't much at all."

"Wait, isn't that a good thing?" Sosuke asked the same thing that was on her mind as he looked at his demon with an uncertain frown.

"Perhaps, but there is the question of _why_ he isn't more damaged," the demonic lady said before her frown increased further, "and then there is another thing…"

The demoness trailed off and she found herself growing curious.

"What is it?" the demons master asked with a frown of his own.

"Something I am not yet comfortable mentioning," it was a simple statement but it said it all.

She wasn't going to tell them.

"Why not?" the man that summoned the demon asked with a frown clear on his face.

"… because I am not yet certain," the blue dressed woman responded without hesitation, "perhaps after a few more cleansings I might be capable of determining if my suspicion is correct or not… but for now, I shall keep it to myself."

"Well… I'll try to make sure I don't get this bad again," Shirou's voice spoke up and she found herself looking at him while wondering just why he was so focused on helping others when he clearly wasn't in that good a condition himself.

"If my suspicions are correct," the Leanan Sidhe said cautiously, "then doing so might not be a bad thing."

That made her eyes widen in shock… and she wasn't the only one.

"However, if they not correct," the demonic lady continued unperturbed, "then it most certainly would be."

Shirou simply nodded in acknowledgement even as he continued to lie down.

"Anyway, thanks for the help," the boy spoke up once again, causing Nozomi to wonder just how he was taking that knowledge so easily.

"You are most welcome," the Irish woman responded with a smile, "you know full well that this benefits me too."

The boy simply nodded and she found herself silently wondering just how it benefitted the demon.

… oh wait, she was taking MAG from him… so that would be how it benefitted her.

"I know," the boy's response was easy.

"Now, if that's everything, I'm going to turn my phone off now," the hunter that had summoned Leanan Sidhe said before he started to press buttons on the object.

"Until next we meet Emiya-san," and with that, the demonic woman was recalled in a flash of light blue lightning.

"Well, I'll be off now," the other hunter said almost immediately even as he glanced at her, clearly wary just like Takeda was.

And without any further words, the man left, leaving her alone with Shirou once again.

A silence fell upon the room and she found herself unsure of what to do.

Eventually though, the silence was broken by the red-headed boy.

"I'm sorry."

She found herself turning her attention to the boy even as he stared at the ceiling.

"I didn't think it would get this bad," his words made her blink as she tried to comprehend the mere fact that he was apologizing to her.

"No, it's my fault," she started to say only to be cut off by the boy.

"No, you didn't know," his words cut in without any hesitation, "so it's my fault… and I could've gotten you killed."

She could hear the self-deprecating tone he spoke with clear and found herself glancing away as she found that she couldn't really refute his statement.

However…

"W-well there is a chance things might get better for you," she said in attempt at lightening the mood.

"Yeah… if I don't get anyone killed before then," his response was still filled with that same tone.

"Do you know why you come down with the poisoning?" she asked and he nodded in acknowledgement, "then, is there a way to avoid getting it?"

"Yeah," his words made her brighten up, "but that's not something I'm prepared to do."

And her idea was immediately dashed.

"Why not?" she decided to ask and he simply looked at her with eyes that told her there was no arguing about it.

"Because it would mean not saving anyone."

The way he said that… it felt so… strange.

As if the idea of not doing so was… incomprehensible.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that the person who said it was currently lying in a makeshift bed because he'd pushed himself to the point where he was dying of Magnetite poisoning, she would've probably found it comforting.

But as it stood, it just made her worry about the person who said it.

* * *

And that's all for today.

Shadow Out.


	7. Chapter 7

And here we are again.

First things first, I shall respond to one particular reviewer:

tamagat - if you don't like it, I'm not making you stay. As far as I'm concerned, Shirou's 'hero complex' is the core of his being that comes out whenever things get hard... even if calling it a hero complex is completely missing the point. He has survivors guilt as his core characteristic. In the Unlimited Blade Works Route, when he realizes he's having fun on a date, he immediately becomes almost depressed at the mere fact he was enjoying himself. Putting himself before others is the one thing he can't do. So if you don't like it, then just stop reading.

Now that I've said that, let's get on with the fic.

* * *

"And that tunnel leads to Ginza," Nozomi said as they moved along the dilapidated street, "currently occupied by the Ring of Gaea."

Shirou couldn't stop himself from frowning at that.

He may have heard a few things about the Ring of Gaea here and there, but he hadn't really gotten a full explanation on the group.

"So, what is the deal with them anyway?" he decided to ask outright, "I heard that they refuse to back down from a strong opponent but that's about all I really know."

"They're a group that values strength above all else," she said calmly, "so wherever they're in charge, the strong can do what they want to the weak… that's how they operate."

He felt his fists tighten at that.

"Don't try and fight them," he found himself blinking at his tour guide's words, "there are too many for you to take on _and_ they're all pretty strong as well."

He didn't like it.

The idea of just stepping on people just because they're weaker than you just rubbed him the wrong way.

"I know you may not like it, but that's just the way things are here," the blonde told him with a frown of her own.

"And no one tries to change it?" he asked, earning a sigh of defeat from the woman.

"They used to… but everyone that tried ended up either getting themselves killed or worse," the way she said it made it clear that she wasn't happy with the situation, but just like everyone else in the city, had given up hope that things could truly be made better.

The worst part was knowing that things probably would just keep getting worse.

As much as she may disagree with such an idea, he found himself deciding he would do something to change things.

He just needed to get stronger.

Hopefully, he'd be able to do something before he killed himself from MAG poisoning.

It was quite a tall order all things considered but it was worth aiming towards.

"Are you sure you're okay?" her voice cut in and he found himself giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said without delay. They had gotten into a small skirmish but he hadn't needed to do any magecraft so he had gotten away without any real issues.

"Given how bad your condition was before, you can't blame me for worrying," she told him and he found himself grimacing at that.

He couldn't really deny that his condition back then was bad.

"Sorry, but I really am fine right now," he told her in an attempt to reassure her.

"Are you sure? Because Ginza won't let us in without proving our strength against their gate guardians," she told him and he found himself genuinely surprised by that, "so we can't rely on them for somewhere for you to recover."

"So they're all based on strength there?" he found himself asking, causing her to shrug in response.

"I haven't been inside myself," she admitted to him, "but I have heard from some more experienced hunters that there are people who aren't capable fighters in there… they're just forced to work to the bone."

Upon hearing that, he silently decided that he would get into Ginza at some point and destroy the Ring of Gaea.

"But for now, we should probably return to Ueno," Nozomi spoke up once again, cutting him from his thoughts, "it's getting pretty late and the next place on the list of places to visit is Shibuya."

He found himself frowning at that.

"Why didn't we go there before here?" he asked and she simply gave him an uncertain smile.

"Because it's less likely for the Ring of Gaea to know about you than it is for the Ashura Kai," her statement made him frown once again.

"Why does that matter?" his question was simple and he noted the way the blonde seemed to deflate at that.

"… because you're a threat," she stated and he blinked in surprise, "a person who can summon without an app is something that can't be controlled and both of those organisations thrive on the control they exert over others."

He found himself somewhat surprised by that simple explanation.

But then he found himself simply considering it.

Even if he as an individual wasn't strong enough to fight them yet, the mere fact that there wasn't any real way to control him was a threat in itself since it went against the rules they imposed to prevent anyone else from using demons.

"Well… I guess we should rest before going to Shibuya then," he acknowledged, earning a satisfied nod off the woman in red.

"Yeah," she responded and he found himself following her back through the mostly empty streets.

XXX Fate/Final Night XXX

The trip back to Ueno wasn't that unusual given the world they were living in.

A few battles against some random demons but nothing that they couldn't handle even without him reinforcing his body.

Admittedly, the fact that Nozomi was still worrying about him was something he was finding to be somewhat annoying.

More because he didn't feel he deserved to be worried about like that more than anything else.

But in the end, it was clear that she was starting to worry about him like Taiga sometimes tended to do.

And just thinking that made his heart start to ache for the overly energetic woman's company.

Beyond that, he was sure she would be more than capable of surviving in a place like this as long as she was properly armed, so her presence would definitely have been a welcome addition to the bleakness.

"What's on your mind?" the woman he was currently travelling with asked him and he found himself releasing a sigh.

"Just remembering someone," he decided to admit.

"Oh…" it was clear Nozomi understood what he was saying if her solemn reaction to it was anything to go by.

After all, even if she hadn't known that he was from the past, the nature of this world meant that death was a normal part of their lives.

"Anyway… I'm going to get something to eat," she told him, "are you coming?"

He found himself offering a shrug.

"I don't have much else to do," he acknowledged even as they moved through the tunnels that led towards the main communal area of the station.

Eventually they made it to the graffiti covered door to the Hunters Association and opened it as they entered the typically busy room.

"Hmm, so you two are back," the bartender spoke up with a gruffness that was becoming pretty normal for Shirou to hear.

"Yeah, we're just going to get some sleep before heading to Shibuya," Nozomi told the man with her tone light.

"You sure that's a good idea with that guy?" the barkeeper asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No… but it's worth knowing about it before it becomes a problem isn't it?" she asked, earning a small grunt of acknowledgement from the man.

"So what can I get you today?" the question was asked briskly and Shirou found himself taking a seat before giving his answer.

"Whatever is easiest for me," he said without hesitation.

"Do you have any Nue Burgers available?" the blonde haired woman asked and the man gave a nod of acknowledgement, "then I'll have one of them."

"Two Nue burgers coming up then," the barkeeper responded before turning to prepare the food for them.

"You really should try some of the stuff available here instead of just ordering whatever is easiest or cheapest," Nozomi's words were clear as she made that claim.

"Well, to me it all tastes somewhat stale," he acknowledged, "so it's simpler to just get whatever is cheapest or easiest."

"Do you want to get fed boy?" the bartender spoke up and he found himself releasing a grimace of defeat.

"Sorry," he immediately apologized, easier to just get it out of the way than try and defend himself.

"Wait… our food… tastes stale?" Nozomi sounded surprised by his words and he found himself unsure of how to react.

"Well… back when I was growing up, we had much more access to freshly grown crops, properly bred meats and refrigerators to keep everything as fresh as possible when being transferred," he explained to the woman who had been born into this world.

Her thoughtful frown made it clear she hadn't expected what he had said.

"I never heard that from anyone else," she responded after a few seconds of thought.

"Probably because most people have forgotten what fresh food tastes like," the barkeeper said even as he looked at Shirou with narrowed eyes, "makes me wonder how you know."

Shirou wasn't sure how to respond before Nozomi answered for him.

"He says he's from the year two thousand," the blonde spoke and Shirou found himself releasing a sigh before correcting what she said.

"And four," it may have only been four years, but he was pretty sure technology had progressed in those four years.

"And how did you end up here?" the man was clearly sceptical.

Unfortunately, Shirou couldn't really say anything that could deal with that scepticism.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I just woke up here one day."

It was a terrible excuse, even he knew that, but that was literally all he knew about the situation.

"Not very convincing are you," the man responded with a blank stare and he simply released a sigh of exasperation.

"I know," he admitted, "but it is the best I've got."

"Heh," that actually seemed to amuse the man, "well, if you knew exactly how it happened, you're probably be much harder to trust."

He honestly found himself surprised by that statement, the idea of being trusted more because you didn't know anything was surprising to say the least.

"Wait… you trust me?" he voiced his surprise, earning a snort off the man.

"No," the man said without hesitation, stamping out that thought, "just pointing out that we'd know you were up to something if you already knew… now we just _think_ you are."

"Don't listen to him," Nozomi told him immediately, "some of us do trust you."

"Then you're fools," the man said without any hesitation.

"It's fine Nozomi-san," he decided to try and stop any arguments from erupting between the two, "I thought it was stupid for him to trust me already."

She looked almost surprised by his claim, but he understood that paranoia would only be natural in a place like this.

After all, he was sure there were demons that were capable of looking like humans if the tales of Tanuki and Kitsune were anything to go by, and letting your guard down around something like that was just asking for trouble.

She seemed to see something in his expression that made her drop the issue, if the sudden deflation she underwent was anything to go by.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon them as they waited for the burgers to be prepared and Shirou found himself focusing on his breathing in an attempt to pull him out of the discomfort he was currently feeling.

Maybe the discomfort was because of seeing someone trying to stand up for him?

It wasn't like he needed someone to do that, he was more than capable of standing up for himself if something actually mattered to him, it was just that most things didn't matter enough for him to waste his effort on them.

Even here, the idea of others not trusting him wasn't something he found all that important.

As long as he was still capable of saving them then that was all that really mattered.

He was eventually brought out of his thoughts by a plate with a rather greasy looking burger was placed before him, with what passed for bread clearly being stale and poorly made.

Not a surprise given the nature of the city.

"Thank you for the meal," he spoke automatically as his manners kicked in and he proceeded to take the plate of food and start eating just as Nozomi took her own.

Looking at her face as she took a bite, he noted the thoughtful look at adorned her face as she ate, even as he found his own thoughts on the meal to be pretty accurate.

Greasy meat with plenty of fat, while the bread was stale and clearly made from substandard crops grown in the few bits of available land under UV lights.

It made instant meals taste good.

"So… does this taste stale?" Nozomi asked and he found himself once again blinking.

"The bread it stale and not that good to begin with," he decided to explain, "as for the meat… it's too greasy and the muscle is too tough."

"Hn," the bartender grunted at his description but seemed more annoyed that he couldn't argue than anything else.

"So old world food was much better than this?" Nozomi asked him and he found himself nodding in response.

"Yeah, even instant meals were made of higher quality ingredients than these," he explained to her before turning to the chef, "no offense, but you can only do so much with what you've got."

The man seemed to acknowledge his point even as Nozomi finished off her own meal.

"Well… stale or not," she spoke up as she started to lick her fingers clean, "Nue burgers are still my favourite food here."

He wasn't going to try and stop her from enjoying the food.

Unlike him, she had grown up with this type of food, unaware of what fresh and properly reared food tasted like.

It almost made him wonder how she would react to Wagyu beef.

After all, his connection to the Fujimura group had given him the rare opportunity to try what was considered by many to be some of the best beef in the world.

With that thought, he found himself wondering if perhaps he had been spoiled for ingredients when growing up.

Shaking his head clear, he decided to simply finish off his own meal before it grew cold and even less appetizing than it already was.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shibuya.

Shirou's first impression was that the metal mesh fence wasn't really worth anything against the demons.

The second was that it looked like a tip… so just like everywhere else in the city.

It definitely seemed like the Ashura-Kai weren't all that concerned about making the living conditions of those who lived under them any better.

Then again, what little he had heard about the group hadn't been that impressive.

They were a little like Yakuza organisations… but without the attributes that made some of the groups beneficial for the areas they occupied.

So they were just petty crooks who used the notion of 'protection' to extort those who lived under their rule.

"The entrance is just ahead," his current guide spoke with a hint of hesitation in her tone, "be prepared to have to deal with some scrutiny."

He nodded in acknowledgement of that warning.

The fact that some people had already seen him summon without an app made it clear that the news had probably gotten around, he had even seen some in other areas who were already aware of his ability.

So the thought of this group of thugs already knowing who he was, wasn't even remotely unreasonable.

Because of that, he found himself preparing the mental triggers needed to summon his demons and reinforce his body.

Eventually, they came up to a set of stairs leading down into the station, however he found himself somewhat tensing upon seeing the pair of men wearing worn down business-suits standing guard.

However, the response to their presence wasn't what he had been expecting.

"Well well, I was wondering if you'd show up," the thug on the right, and older man with black hair that was showing signs of going grey and currently dressed in a grey suit with sunglasses said with amusement in his tone, "we've heard about you Emiya Shirou."

He found himself frowning at the way the man didn't sound at all hostile to him.

"The boss was quite interested when he heard about you," the man continued, "a man that can summon unaided… quite the rarity."

"Look," Nozomi spoke up only for the other man to interrupt her, this one clearly younger with brown hair and wearing a black suit.

"Shut up, we're talking to the boy, not you," the man snapped at her with clear annoyance at her trying to interfere.

The fact that the blonde haired woman seemed to back down at that only made him more annoyed at the people standing before him.

"We have nothing to talk about," he stated firmly, causing the man in black to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"Enough Kurosawa," the man in grey spoke in a tone that indicated he wasn't happy with the man's action either, "the woman is clearly with our friend here… so show her _some_ respect."

The way the man referred to him as their 'friend' made Shirou tense more, clearly these people were after something if they were speaking to him like that.

The younger man however, seemed to simply look away with a sneer clear on his face.

"I'm sorry about Kurosawa here," the older man said with a tone that made it clear he was trying to be friendly, "he's pretty new here and seems to be getting a big head from finally becoming a demon summoner."

Shirou for his part, found himself unimpressed.

While the man was clearly trying to be amicable, there was a clear sense of it being a front more than anything else.

He was certainly no Raiga when it came to putting on airs.

"What do you want?" he decided to ask as bluntly as possible.

"Straight to business eh? Well I guess I can oblige you with that," the man in grey said easily enough, "the boss wants you to join us."

"No deal," he responded as soon as he heard that.

He had no interest in joining an organisation that preyed on others.

His immediate dismissal seemed to catch the man by surprise but he recovered quickly enough.

"I'm sure we could come to a deal you'd find satisfactory," the man with greying hair sounded confident but Shirou could get the sense that he had rattled him.

"You couldn't," he stated outright.

After all, their entire organisation was an affront to his world view.

"Ya little shit," the man named Kurosawa spoke with his sneer clear as he reached for his phone.

"Kurosawa, I won't warn you again," the older man threatened without hesitation, prompting the younger of the two to freeze and hesitate before moving his hand away from where he was keeping his phone.

"Sorry Kuroda," the response was quiet and clearly said through gritted teeth, but it was obvious that the younger man feared the older one.

"Look, I don't know why you don't want to join and we can't force you to either, " the man continued with a frown directed towards him, indicating he understood that forcing people to join against their will was only inviting disaster, "but know this… if you get in the way of our operations, you will get no mercy… am I clear?"

Shirou found himself about to respond when he was beaten to the punch by Nozomi.

"Yes, you're clear," she spoke and he found himself releasing a sigh as he gave his own response.

"Crystal," he noted the surprised look on the older mans face and the somewhat confused look from the younger man, but neither really mattered.

"Good," the man who was apparently called Kuroda said before gesturing them towards the stairs, "then enjoy your stay in Shibuya."

Shirou found himself walking with Nozomi into the underground before noting the way Nozomi seemed to sag in relief.

"I was worried you were going to pick a fight with them," she said and he found himself simply shrugging.

"He asked if I understood they'd show me no mercy if I got in their way," he said before continuing, "not if I intend on interfering at some point."

That explanation seemed to draw a look of surprise from the blonde woman before her expression fell once again.

"Don't pick a fight with them," she said with concern lacing her voice, "you can't beat them."

He couldn't accept that.

Even if he died in the process, he could at least hurt their stranglehold on the rest of the region and loosen their grip on the innocents.

That would at least be worth something.

However, he found himself hesitating to answer… mainly because he already had the impression that saying what he thought would get a very negative reaction out of the woman.

So it would probably be easier to just keep his silence on the matter.

"… Shirou, don't do anything stupid like throw your life away," her voice cut in and he found himself unable to look in her direction at her words.

The fact that he wouldn't answer seemed to only make her even more worried, but he just couldn't bring himself to lie about that.

Because lying to someone about saving people would be a betrayal of everything he lived for.

Even if what he said wasn't true, merely acknowledging the possibility was something he couldn't bring himself to do.

It certainly seemed like this particular trip was going to be very awkward between them.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shibuya was certainly the largest station he had been too since arriving in this destroyed Tokyo.

That much was for certain and it made it clear why the Ashura-Kai would base themselves out of this area.

Of course, that meant seeing many people wearing old suits walking through the areas, though once again, there was a distinct lack of demonic presence in the area.

And it was another reason he was considered such an interesting situation.

He could keep his demons out all the time, while everyone else needed to make sure their phones batteries had enough charge.

Beyond that, the batteries that were currently being used weren't exactly what anyone would call 'powerful' given that they'd been used and reused for over twenty years by this point.

He was honestly amazed any of them could retain any battery-life at all… let alone enough of them to arm three entire factions.

Maybe batteries were just that much better before everything happened?

He honestly couldn't say.

"And that's it," Nozomi's voice cut in and he found himself once again returning his attention towards her, "that's all of Tokyo that really matters."

"Thank you Nozomi," he decided to offer his gratitude to her for the aid she had just given him, "this has really helped me out."

Now he had an idea of the lay of the land and roughly what sorts of demons tended to congregate in which areas.

Beyond that, he now knew not only who the major powers were, but where they operated from and more importantly… how they operated.

So now he knew who his enemies were.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how to defeat them but knowing who he was against was clearly better than being completely blind.

"Yeah… I thought it would," she spoke with her uncertainty returning to her voice, "just don't make all of this go to waste by getting yourself killed."

He found himself once again releasing a sigh.

He didn't plan on getting killed… but he wasn't going to go out of his way to avoid the possibility when it would mean not saving people.

However, there was something he was prepared to assure her.

"I'll try," after all, just because he wasn't prepared to let others die to make sure he survived, didn't mean he wanted to bite the bucket.

In the end, he noted the way the blonde haired woman sagged in defeat.

"I guess that's the best I can get out of you isn't it?" she asked and he nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah, sorry but I'm not prepared to just sit back if others need help," he decided to be blunt in his declaration.

Eventually, he noted her lip starting to quirk upwards before she spoke to him once again.

"I guess I'll just have to hope you survive whatever trouble you get yourself into then," it was clear that she had finally managed to find some good in his attitude.

"I guess I do too."

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Nozomi wasn't sure what to think.

On one hand, she knew that what Shirou was thinking of doing was outright suicidal… but on the other, she found herself wondering about how much better the world would be if there were more people who were so willing to help others out there.

She had known that her words weren't likely to get through to him, he had given her the impression of someone who didn't care about his own life after all.

But the sheer determination he displayed towards the ideal of helping others was inspiring… clearly not healthy but inspiring none the less.

She may not have seen him actually do that much, but he had helped her and she had seen his eyes whenever he spoke of helping others.

There wasn't a trace of indecision or doubt in those eyes, that combined with what she had seen of him in battle left her with the clear impression that he wasn't all talk.

Honestly, if he had been all talk then she wouldn't have been so worried about him.

Beyond that, she found herself wondering just why the Ashura-Kai chose to not take him out already, possibly because he was still thought of as being weak… with just a Lham Dearg and Fomorian on his side he was clearly not that powerful.

Which was another reason she had avoided trying to get him into Ginza.

For all his apparent potential, he was still just a rookie with some weak demons on his side.

She was certain that things would change if he started to show any growth, or managed to figure out what he was doing to capture his demons in the first place.

Because if he started to collect more demons than just what he already had, his risk factor would definitely shoot up as far as the Ashura-Kai and Ring Of Gaea were concerned.

But for now, he appeared to be safe from those factions.

She just hoped he wouldn't poison himself to death before that became an issue.

"Well…" she found herself stumbling over her words as she thought about what to say now that the tour was over.

"I guess this is where we split ways," his voice said with a calm tone.

"Yeah… I guess it is," she found herself responding even as she wondered just what would happen now that they were about to go their separate ways.

"I hope you do well Nozomi-san," he said without hesitation even as he started to turn around to leave the area, "don't hesitate to call me if you need help."

"Wait," she called to him, stopping him just as he took a step away from her, prompting him to turn his head to look at her, "before you leave, how about we have one last meal."

The surprise that flickered over his face was obvious to her but eventually he settled onto a thoughtful frown before releasing a sigh.

"I guess that wouldn't hurt," he finally responded with a small smile on his face.

With a smile of her own, she found herself once again walking towards the Hunter Association with the boy who she had spent the last couple of days around.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Tayama frowned in response to the information he had just received concerning one Emiya Shirou.

The boy had entered Shibuya and despite the gate guards trying to get him to join the organisation, the boy had remained resolute in his decision to not even bother listening to the offer.

He had hoped the boy could be swayed towards their group, it meant that he could put a leash around the boy after all.

But so long as he was a Hunter, there were still ways to controlling him that weren't quite so direct.

In the end, as long as Emiya didn't choose to interfere with his operations, then he could let the boy off the hook even if only as a peace offering of a sort to the people at large.

After all, if he was willing to spare an unknown quantity like that, then that just made the people more willing to buy into his laws and methods.

He did somewhat hope that the boy spat on his offer of peace though… after all, if the boy did that, then he could easily apprehend the child without looking like the villain.

And if he could simply get the right people and equipment on the job, he may be capable of figuring out what allowed a human to summon demons without an app.

But until the kid made the mistake of crossing his organisation, he would leave the boy alone.

Besides, given the information he currently had on the boy, he was beginning to understand the kid's Modus Operandi.

And if his interpretation was right…

Then a confrontation between Emiya Shirou and the Ashura-Kai wasn't just plausible… it was inevitable.

And they would be ready for it.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Interesting.

Very interesting.

There weren't many things that could attract her attention, but to find out that there was a human capable of summoning without an external medium, was something too interesting to not think about.

The only times she could think of a 'human' summoning a demon without outside aid were the Hitoshura and Abel… and they were technically demons when they summoned back then.

Which raised the question… was this human boy somehow becoming a demon without external aid?

It just didn't fit with the specific rules of this universe, humans becoming demons wasn't all that unusual but there were always massive physical and psychological changes that came with the transition due to the Demonic Gene that was engineered into humanity by the Forces of Law.

Beyond that, there was the rumour she had heard about some people overhearing that he was from the past.

Was it possible that he was a human from before the Angels shoved the Demonic Gene into the human population?

If so, why was he even there in the first place?

So many questions and no answers in sight.

For now, she would just have to wait.

Wait and see just what this new piece on the board would bring with it.

After all, patience was one thing she had above all else.

She just hoped she wasn't underestimating this boy.

She knew all too well just what a messiah could do after all.

* * *

And that is all for now.

Shadow out.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everybody.

I don't have much to say here right now outside of two simple matters.

Firstly, I decided that since this site hates underlining, I'm not going to bother trying to underline the demons lines anymore.

And two...

The Persona 3 Protagonist is _**not**_ a certified Shin Megami Tensei Messiah.

The only certified SMT Messiah's so far are:

Adam, Aleph, Hitoshura, Flynn and Nanashi.

While the Persona 3 Protag may have a Persona named Messiah, he doesn't fill the role as it appears in SMT (which generally involves the Cosmic Balance between the forces of Law and Chaos).

So that is all I will say for now... let's just get on with the chapter.

* * *

Shinjuku was just another underground station that had been turned into a subterranean housing complex as far as Shirou was concerned.

But even he had to acknowledge the safety that such a place offered when he was tired and sore from a long day's work.

"You feeling okay kid?" the bartender asked him as he watched the small number of hunters that were still up at this time.

"Yeah, just a little tired," he admitted even as he looked towards the clock.

4:15 am.

He had already been up most of the night due to a job and he was simply happy that the Hunter Association was manned at all times due to how many hunters ended up doing long hours.

"Then perhaps you should find somewhere to sleep," the bartender suggested without much delay, "hell, there's a sofa over there I'm sure you could use."

The man indicated with a jerk of his head towards the other side of the room.

Shirou simply found himself releasing a yawn before he could give a proper response.

Regaining his composure, he looked towards the area and found an old sofa that had been pushed to the side near a worn down coffee table.

"Thanks," he offered in response to the offer.

It wasn't the best bed, but then again, nothing in this city was, and there was the issue that other hunters would eventually come in for meals and jobs, but it was better than nothing.

Rising from his seat, he found himself moving towards the decrepit furniture, his body ready to give out and collapse into it.

It didn't take long for him to reach it and without any fanfare, he proceeded to fall into the seat and let sleep take him.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou found himself waking up groggily as the noise started to increase around him.

Opening his eyes, he found himself looking upon a room already bustling with activity, something he hadn't expected to see.

He had assumed he would wake up before it got to busy but apparently he had been wrong.

Rising from his position on the sofa, he started to stretch out the soreness that had seeped it's way into his back and muscles.

At least he wasn't feeling the pinpricks that indicated Magnetite poisoning anywhere near as much anymore now that he had rested up.

Taking out his phone he looked at the time and found that it was still only nine o'clock in the morning, meaning he had only gotten about five hours sleep.

It explained why he woke up so groggily.

Beyond that however, today would mark the end of his first month living in Tokyo.

The mere fact that he had already spent a month in the demon infested city was surprising, he had been so busy doing what he could to help people that time had flown by faster than he remembered it ever doing before.

Rubbing his head he put his phone away before rising from his makeshift bed and making his way towards the bar.

"So you're up," the new bartender spoke upon seeing him walk up to the counter, "about time."

"Sorry… it was late when I finished my last job," he said without any hesitation, "and I didn't think I'd manage to sleep this long."

That seemed to draw an amused snort from the man.

"What're you having?" the man asked and he found himself shrugging in response.

"Whatever is easiest," he responded without delay, "… and a strong coffee if possible."

"Fine, one pork bowl and black coffee coming up," the current bartender responded without delay before taking the money that was put in front of him and moving to prepare the meal after giving him his change.

He found himself inwardly considering the fact that he was going to be eating another Katakirauwa… he still hadn't gotten himself to use his own as a source of food, but the people who knew about that particular circumstance kept telling him that he _should_ eat it.

Nozomi had even brought up a compromise concerning the demon.

Just keep it summoned and when it inevitably died in battle, just take the body to sell.

He was seriously considering that possibility.

Especially with how annoying the demon was proving to be.

He shook his head clear of those thoughts before pulling his phone back out of his pocket and activating the Bluetooth to update the job list.

There wasn't much that was new available right now.

Just one job that he found himself paying more attention than he probably should according to common knowledge.

 _Client: secret!_

 _Reward: something good_

 _Mission Statement: There is a demon that has set up a domain in an old nightclub near Shibuya, can someone come and deal with it?_

The mere fact that the client was refusing to give their identity or the reward in the job description made it obvious that there was something going on with the job.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, he sent out the indicator that he was accepting the job before closing his phone and waiting for his meal to arrive.

Admittedly, taking a job like that while still tired probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he was used to long hours on little sleep, so he would probably become alert soon enough.

Eventually the bowl of Katakirauwa meat was put in front of him alongside a chipped mug of black liquid and he proceeded to start eating the rather unappealing meal.

"So are you going to do some more work today?" the barkeeper asked and he found himself shrugging.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked in response.

"It's your funeral," the man said with no indication as to why he was saying it.

Maybe it was because he looked tired?

Shaking his head, he dismissed that thought before taking a drink of the coffee.

The fact that the liquid tasted not far removed from mud wasn't all that surprising, what with how it was literally decades old, instant and low budget all at the same time.

But it was still coffee and he could do with the pick-me-up.

Finishing off the meal didn't take long and after eating his fill and getting a bit of caffeine in his system, he proceeded to rise from his seat and prepared himself for the day to come.

"Thank you for the meal," he said as he started to make his way out of the room.

He had to get to Shibuya if he wanted to find the location of the Domain.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Moving through the city was just as awkward as usual.

With all the crumbling buildings and demons getting in the way, it wasn't a surprise that it took a few hours to reach Shibuya.

Nor was he surprised that he was feeling a sense of fatigue even as he reached the station and passed by a pair of Ashura-Kai guards on the way inside.

Rubbing his eyes, he picked out another hunter from the crowd and proceeded to speak.

"Excuse me," his words were polite even as the person he spoke to turned to face him, "do you know anything about a Domain appearing in the area?"

The other hunter almost immediately released a sigh and Shirou found himself inwardly wincing at the sadness that entered the other man's eyes.

"Yeah… one of us went to deal with it but hasn't come back," the response made it obvious what the expected reason for that was.

"Any idea about this?" he decided to show the man the job and noted the grimace that appeared on his face.

"Probably some trick by the demon to trap more hunters," the explanation wasn't something that could be dismissed… but Shirou found himself unfazed.

Because in the end, it didn't really change anything if a demon was trying to lure hunters in or not, the very point of a domain was that it was a trap after all.

"So, do you have any idea where it is?" he asked without delay, earning another sigh from the other hunter.

"You'll just be going to your death," the man told him even as he took out his phone and pressed the screen a few times before showing him a map of the city with several markers of various colours visible, "the yellow one is the domain."

Shirou took note of where the marker was currently pointing before nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"Thank you," he said as soon as he was finished.

"It isn't my place to stop you from getting yourself killed," the man told him without hesitation, "but I would advise you stay away from it."

Shirou couldn't stop himself from nodding in acknowledgement.

As much as he appreciated the advice, he was more concerned about trying to make the place safer for the people living there.

And if killing a demon that had set a domain could help with that, then he would do everything he could to do so.

"Thank you for your help," he said even as he started to move away from the man, "goodbye."

"Goodbye kid," the other man said in a way that made it clear he wasn't expecting to see him again.

It honestly wasn't surprising.

But it wouldn't stop him from making his way towards the location of the Domain and doing everything he could to defeat the demon that created it.

So without any further comments, he proceeded to start making his way back towards the stairs leading out to the city.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

"So this is it," he muttered to himself as he looked at the entrance to the club he had been directed towards.

Without a seconds thought, he proceeded to wave his arm in what had quickly become a ritual for him, pushing out the far more viscous power that belonged to his demons.

Immediately he was surrounded by a pair of golden lightning bolts that quickly cleared to reveal his two combat ready demons in the forms of Lham Dearg and Fomorian.

"Lham Dearg, Fomorian," he spoke calmly as he looked at the entrance to the club, "we've got a job to do."

It was a simple explanation, but at the same time, he didn't feel like trying to make an grandiose speech for something as simple as tracking down a target in a hole.

"Of course master," the Scottish ghost spoke without delay.

"FOMOR GET TO KILL?" the Irish giant's response was far louder and demanding.

"Yes Fomor, you will get to kill," he responded without delay, it wasn't as if this was an uncommon occurrence after all.

"FOMOR GET TO KILL!" the giant ram-like demon immediately cried out with a sense of joy in it's tone.

"… let's just get on with the job," he commanded with a sigh at the demon's antics.

"Indeed," the warrior of the group acknowledged even as Shirou proceeded to move to the entrance and open it, immediately feeling the sensation of being drawn into a different space take him as he found himself thrust into a domain once again.

It was still just as unpleasant as it felt the first time he'd been drawn into one.

After taking a couple of seconds to straighten out his thoughts, he noted that the corridors were practically the same as before, with yellow tinged walls that practically throbbed with veins.

"You appear to be uncomfortable master," the voice of Lham called out and he found himself inwardly agreeing.

"It's nothing," he commented without delay, "I'm just not used to entering domains."

He noted the way the demonic swordsman nodded in acknowledgement to that before taking a deep breath and focusing on his senses.

It wouldn't do to be so out of it that he would be caught off guard.

"Come on, let's go," he eventually commanded before starting off down the corridor, they still had to find the heart of the domain after all.

Walking through the area was certainly nerve wracking, the mere fact that he was in enemy territory with no way to tell if he was going to be jumped from behind was not a particularly pleasant experience.

Eventually however, he found his spine tingling as his ears started to pick up a noise that he couldn't quite make out.

"Trace On."

With those two words, he proceeded to push his prana into his ears and feeling the slight stinging that he associated with Magnetite Poisoning.

However, it allowed him to hear a distinct purr coming from around the corner.

And that made him immediately wary due to the simple knowledge that Cats weren't around anymore.

"Lham, Fomor, be careful," he spoke in almost a whisper as he attempted to avoid giving away their presence too early.

"Oh? Is someone there?" a feminine voice called from the location of the purring and Shirou found himself bracing as a figure stalked from around the corner.

It was clearly female and had long hair that was somewhere in the region of a light brown to a dark blonde, that fell down across one of her shoulders while a tail flowed freely behind her and yellow slitted eyes gazed at him.

Beyond that however, was the extremely dark lower half of her face that matched the lower parts of her body, with only her neck, shoulders, ribs, back, arms and tail being covered in a white fur-like coat, while a set of whiskers decorated her cheeks and a series of large and incredibly sharp looking claws replaced whatever fingernails a human would've had.

Shirou made certain his hands were within quick reach of both his gun and his sword as he waited for the demon to act.

"Oh? You're a hunter aren't you?" the demon responded with a beatific smile adorning her face even as he noted the underlying purr that grace her speech, "does that mean you responded to my request?"

Her request?

"Does that mean you're the one who posted the job about getting rid of a domain?" he asked and he immediately noted the way the demonesses eyes brightened at that.

"Yep, that's me," the cat like girl answered without delay.

Shirou found himself silently wondering why a demon would want someone to get rid of a domain… they were meant to be powerful places that could trap people within… so why would she want rid of it?

"And what do you get out of that?" he decided to ask, wondering just what sort of excuse she'd give him for it.

"It took me years to get this place running purrfectly!" the cat-girl responded without delay, "and then this arrogant asshole showed up and stole it from me!"

Shirou intentionally chose to ignore the cat pun as he tried to figure out just what she meant by that.

"Do you mean you tried to start this club back up?" he asked, earning a nod off the feline, "… why?"

He honestly couldn't understand why a demon would want to restore a club outside of using it as a trap.

"Dancing looks fun," she told him without any concern and Shirou found himself wondering just how he was supposed to consider this demon.

It was certainly not appearing to be as vicious as the others he had met but there was no guarantee it wasn't just a trick to make him lower his guard.

There was another matter that he would have to figure out however.

"I have to ask… how did you send the job request in the first place?" it was an important piece of information and he noted the confusion on her face before an expression of understanding swept across it.

"Oh… that's because of the other human that came here," the response was simple but told him practically nothing.

"What happened to them?" he decided he needed to know before carrying on any further.

"Oh, they attacked me so I killed them," she answered without hesitation and he found himself blinking in surprise at the sheer honesty in that claim.

"Did you just admit to killing a hunter and then using their phone to send out a request for more to arrive?" he asked, causing the cat-girl to open her mouth before pausing.

"… oh… I didn't think that bit through did I?" she responded before looking at him far more warily than before, "… are you going to try to kill me too?"

On one hand, he probably should, however, on the other she didn't seem all that aggressive yet, only showing signs of hostility when it occurred to her that he might decide to try and kill her too.

And if she was telling the truth, then the other hunters death could be argued to be their own fault for picking a fight with her in the first place.

"Not yet," he decided to compromise, "but if you go around killing people, then I'll put a stop to you."

"So… not enemies?" she seemed to be unsure if that was his current view on her, but he simply nodded.

"Not enemies until you start killing in anything but self defence," he decided to clarify, causing the demoness to slump in relief, "though I do ask that you take me to the body so I can return it to their friends."

"Okay," the whiskered girl responded without any hesitation to that stipulation, "it's just over here."

Without delay, Shirou found himself following the cat demon through the corridors and into a dead-end with a bloodied corpse lying on the ground.

It was a bit of a mess, but he could see the phone laying just next to the body while sharp gashes had clearly caught some of the victims vital organs.

In the end, it was obvious how the victim had died.

Releasing a breath, he noted the way the body was drying up while the blood that had spilled was congealing on the ground.

"I've got to find a way to take this back," he commented on the body even as he picked up the phone and pocketed it for later.

"FOMOR CAN CARRY!" the Irish giant commented and he found himself about to refuse before he stalled and actually considered the situation.

"You're not hungry are you?" he asked, earning a shake of the head of the Irish demon, "… then I guess you can carry it for now… just make sure you don't eat it."

He received a nod from the demon as it proceeded to pick up the corpse with no hassle and Shirou found himself turning back to the cat-girl.

"So what do I call you anyway?" he decided to ask, he already had a hunch but he wanted it confirmed before he used it.

"I'm Nekomata," she responded without delay, "but you can call me Neko-chan."

He stalled at that.

Being given a 'nickname' he could give a demon wasn't something he'd ever experienced but he quickly shook his head and pushed that aside.

"Okay Nekomata-san," he responded, ignoring the name she said he could use for something a bit more distant, an act that appeared to bring a hint of amusement to the girl's eyes,, "what can you tell me about this place?"

"It was nice," she responded without delay before her expression darkened, "then that bloody Macabre showed up, set this domain and brought a load of Succubi and Incubi in."

Her tone was filled with clear disdain for what had happened and he found himself feeling a sense of sympathy for the demonic girl.

From what he could tell, she had just been going about her business when this Domain had been erected.

Of course, there was the possibility that everything she was telling him was a lie, but he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt until she proved herself to be deceitful.

"So we'll probably have to fight sex demons," he found himself muttering, silently hoping he didn't fall under the charm of a Succubus.

"Yep," the Nekomata said with a chirpy tone, "that won't be a purroblem for you will it?"

He once again ignored the way the Nekomata added a purr into it's words as he thought over the situation.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I've never dealt with a Succubus before so I don't know how powerful it's charm is."

"Oh," the cat-like girl responded with a sense of understanding, "well… if you fall under their power, this kitten will help you out."

He immediately found himself blinking in surprise at that declaration.

"You're planning on helping me?" he found himself asking with a hint of surprise welling up in his chest.

"Of course… I want to give that Macabre a piece of my mind too," she responded without delay and Shirou found himself internally questioning the situation.

If she was lying about being enemies with this 'Macabre' then taking her into the fight would be a massive disadvantage.

But if she was being truthful, then it would certainly be a help… however there was something he would prefer to that.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't get into too much fighting," he told her, earning a confused expression off the demonic girl in the process.

"Why?" she asked him with confusion clear in her tone.

"Because I'd feel better if you kept yourself safe," his reasoning wasn't entirely wrong, if she was a friend, then he would prefer it if she survived… and if she was a foe, she'd be safe from the enemy anyway.

"Oh? Does that mean mister distant cares about little me?" she asked in response and he found himself simply releasing a sigh.

"I just feel more comfortable if others aren't risking their lives for my sake," he told her without delay.

"And there I was feeling special," she spoke with a mock hurt tone that made it clear she was joking.

"Well, I'd better get going," he stated as he started to prepare for his exploration of the Domain, "if you want to join me then stick close, if not, then do what you want."

He soon found himself unsure if he should've said that given the way the woman immediately moved up to and started to rub herself against him like a regular housecat would.

It took him a few seconds to remember the purpose of that act.

"Are you trying to mark me?" he asked with a frown marring his face.

"We're friends aren't we?" she asked and he found himself staring blankly at her, "this is what friends do."

He found himself silently wondering just why she decided they were on terms that good.

"Take it for what it is," Lham Dearg spoke up and he found himself looking at the Scottish Ghost, "those things don't do that unless they like something."

"I don't like being called a thing," the girl replied without delay.

"Even so, why are you being so close to me?" he decided to ask, earning a couple of blinks from the yellow eyes.

"Most humans who don't attack straight away at least try to recruit me… and then try to kill me," she responded without delay, "you've done neither, even saying you wanted me to stay safe… that's not something most human's would do."

"Well I'm not most humans," he decided to point out, it was a true statement after all, he was technically a magus, one who was quickly growing in skill at applying his magecraft even if those applications came with their own downsides.

"Exactly," she replied with a chirpy voice, "so why can't we be friends?"

He was definitely growing suspicious now.

There was no reason for a demon to want to be his friend, especially this soon after meeting him.

Which meant she was clearly up to something.

The question of course, was what she was up to and how to make sure she didn't cause him too much trouble when he finally got around to facing the master of the domain.

Provided she _wasn't_ the master of it of course.

Her presence made the journey through the halls far more worrying than he expected, after all, knowing that there were enemies nearby had nothing on knowing that there was someone with questionable motives directly next to him.

"Well well, look at what the cat dragged in," an unfamiliar and rather seedy sounding male voice called out and he noted the way the Nekomata stiffened at that.

Shirou however, simply turned to face something that almost made him blush in embarrassment.

A short man with a bald head, long pointed nose, leathery wings and pink skin… however it was the massive, red and black polkadot horn that protruded from his crotch that was the most noticeable part of him.

Beyond that, there was a beautiful woman not far from him, with windswept blonde hair, a black leotard, leathery wings and a long, whip-like tail.

He wasn't surprised that they were an incubus and a succubus.

"Now now, as annoying as the mangy mog is, it seems to have brought something rather… _pleasing_ , here," the Succubus spoke and Shirou felt his eye twitch at that proclamation.

Pulling out his sword, he prepared himself for the battle that was liable to come soon.

"I'm not that pleasing," he told the demonic woman without delay.

"Well you're definitely cuter than this guy here," the response was made without delay.

"Oi!" the fact that the Incubus didn't sound all that pleased by the statement only made it clearer that the demoness wasn't all that concerned with her apparent partners displeasure, "he's nowhere near my size!"

Shirou found himself far less concerned with that than the demon was… he wasn't exactly going to argue with that claim… nor did he feel like getting into a pointless argument about the size of his reproductive organs.

"Doesn't matter when you've got a face like that," the Succubus responded easily and Shirou found himself silently wondering if he should feel some sympathy for the demonic man.

However, he found himself silently making the decision to try and bypass the duo.

"DO WE FIGHT NOW?" it was just a shame the Fomorian decided to interrupt.

"Do you mind?!" the pink skinned demon responded with a hint of vehemence, "we're in the middle of an argument here!"

The mere fact that the demons seemed to dismiss the idea of ceasing their argument to attack the group made it clear that they weren't an immediate threat.

"Sorry," he chose to responded, "we'll just leave you to it."

"Where do you think you're going?" the winged woman asked with a far less jovial tone, "we've still got plenty to do with you before you… _leave_."

The inflection in the last word made it clear what she actually meant was 'leave the world of the living'.

And suddenly Shirou found himself reluctant the leave the pair alive.

"I _was_ thinking of leaving you two to your bickering," he decided to admit, prompting the woman to open her mouth though he cut her off, "but after that comment… I find myself less willing to leave you alive."

"Ooh… how scary," the Incubus spoke with the sarcasm dripping from its tone, "you think one little hunter can beat both of us?"

"I don't really care," his response seemed to throw the demon for a loop, "you've just made it clear you're too dangerous to leave running around, so I'm going to end you."

"H-hoi, this isn't the best idea," the Nekomata responded with hesitation clear in her tone but Shirou simply shook his head.

"Sorry, but I'm not the sort of person who can just let people like that go," he said without any real thought.

It was the truth after all.

"Heh," the voice of Lham Dearg cut in, "I most certainly can vouch for that… given how you chose to fight me without a weapon or a COMP when I was about to kill a hunter."

That statement seemed to prompt a silence to descend on the group as the two enemies looked at him in disbelief.

"… what?" the voice of the Nekomata sounded from beside him and he found himself releasing a sigh.

"It's a long story," he responded tiredly.

"It's not that long," the Scottish Swordsman proclaimed, and he found himself inwardly hoping the demon wouldn't spill the suicidal actions he had taken back then.

"It's long enough to not be worth explaining," he pointed out with a small glare sent at his first demon.

"Now I really want to know what happened," the Nekomata said with curiosity clear in her tone.

"Even so…" the voice of the Succubus piped in, "hearing that he took on a demon without any equipment makes me wonder if he's worth keeping around."

"Shut up, he's just more food," the Incubus declared with a small glare adorning it's face.

"DO WE FIGHT YET?" the loudest of the group asked with boredom clear in its voice.

"Yes," Shirou told it without delay.

Almost immediately the Irish demon charged forward, scattering the duo of Sex Demons in the process and prompting Shirou to consider the options.

"Nekomata, are you happy fighting the Succubus with Lham Dearg?" he asked the cat woman who was still next to him.

"I can do that," she told him without delay, even going so far as to start moving towards the female demon.

"Of course master," the swordsman replied without delay as he followed the woman towards the target.

"Fomor, aim for the guy," he commanded to the sheep like giant even as he moved to close the distance between himself and the Incubus.

"FOMOR SMASH!" the battle cry of the giant was very basic but Shirou found himself readying his sword as he prepared to deal with the opponent.

He just hoped he could finish the fight quick enough to give the Nekomata some support.

But for now, he had to focus on the pink skinned demon, it only took one slip up to die after all.

And he had no intention of doing that until he'd completed his goals with the Ring of Gaia and Ashura-kai.

* * *

And that's all for now.

Now, the main curiosity I have is how many of my readers can see what this chapter was inspired by... it'll be interesting to find out.

But anyway... until next time.

Shadow Out.


	9. Chapter 9

Yo.

First things first.

Going to once again go over what I mean by 'certified messiah'.

My previous explanation was pretty bad and I've come up with a more concise one since the last update.

A Messiah is a person chosen by the Axiom to maintain cosmic balance (usually this involves being an agent acting against the Hebrew God).

The only 'certified messiahs' are those who have been confirmed as being such by beings that understand the Axiom... eg, Lucifer, YHVH or STEVEN.

And from what I am aware, so far only the protagonists of SMT1, 2, 3, 4 and 4 FINAL/Apocalypse have been confirmed to be such.

That's not to say that it's not possible that other characters are as well, just that those 5 are the only confirmed Messiah's by SMT's meaning of the word.

But anyway, that's all I've got to say right now, so let's get on with the fic.

* * *

Shirou's sword sliced through the air, narrowly missing the Incubus as it avoided another crushing blow by the Fomorian.

Despite his far more agile body than Fomor, he was struggling to catch their foe and he found himself wondering if Lham Dearg and the Nekomata were having any more luck with their foe.

He silently doubted that.

"What's wrong? Weren't you trying to kill me?" the mocking tone of the foe made it clear it wasn't taking him seriously and he found himself silently seething at that particular point.

He was most certainly trying to kill the demon, but it was just too agile for him to hit.

"GRRAAAHHH! KEEP STILL!" Fomor cried out in clear rage and Shirou once again moved to try and intercept the winged cretin's dodge, his sword swiping through thin air once again.

This time however, he was ready.

The Incubus may have dodged his sword, but a bullet was a bit harder to deal with.

His handgun released a clear and audible crack as he pulled the trigger, firing a shot directly towards the Incubus.

"GAHH!" the cry it released made it clear he'd managed to score a direct hit, knocking the foe off balance and leaving it open for a massive blow to slam down on it from above, practically embedding it into the twisting ground in the process.

Without wasting any more time, he rushed towards the downed foe and brought his sword down, ready to impale it to the floor.

A simple roll to the side allowed the creature to dodge his strike, causing his blade to get stuck in the ground and leaving him open for a firm lash that came from the pink skinned monster's tail.

"Kch!" he gritted out as he felt the foes tail strike like a whip, cracking against his ribs and possibly fracturing one if his guess was anything to go by.

But he stood firm as he proceeded to yank his blade back out of the ground and strike at the now mobile foe once again.

His strike once again failed to land as the demon simply moved backwards, it's movement's however, were not as smooth as they once were and he proceeded to move in for another strike even as Fomor came in swinging.

It had taken a while to get the Irish Giant to be more careful with its attacks, but it had eventually learned to be careful of hitting allies… mainly because he'd kept returning it to his magic circuits whenever it did.

Given its love of smashing things, that had proven an effective motivator.

And once again, he found himself relieved he had done that before as Fomor's attack missed him by a hair's breadth and struck the Incubus square in the chest.

The winged devil was thrown back and Shirou once again brought out his gun, taking aim and firing once more.

Yet again, the demon was knocked off balance before Fomor once again proceeded to crush it beneath its fists, granting Shirou another opportunity to strike at the downed enemy.

This time however, he shot it once again, preventing it from moving out of the way before he plunged the blade through it once again.

"S-shit…" the demon with the unfortunately placed horn ground out as it was pinned to the ground and most likely finished off, "guess you really were able to kill me."

Shirou simply decided to shoot it once more, this time in the head.

A quick death was probably the kindest thing he could give it.

Without any further delay, he drew his sword from the corpse before turning his attention back towards the other fight.

He still had a Succubus to defeat.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Lham Dearg was most certainly not having a good time.

Fighting a Succubus was not his idea of a good time, especially since she just kept flowing around, twisting and avoiding every attack he sent her way.

At least the Nekomata was having a better time trying to strike the demoness.

The winged woman was clearly a little faster, but the sheer ferocity that the Nekomata was capable of displaying was impressive enough to keep the blonde on her toes.

It almost made him feel obsolete… almost.

For all her ability to keep the enemy on her toes, the only reason the Succubus hadn't performed a counter attack was due to him filling in any gaps in the assault he could.

Otherwise, this battle probably would've ended some time ago.

"Damn…" the foe muttered, and he noted the way she seemed to frown as she said that.

He didn't care.

Keeping his focus on the foe before him, he once again lashed out with the intent of bifurcating the woman that had caused him so much frustration over the past couple of minutes.

Once again, he was dodged before another gunshot sounded out.

The fact that the succubus was immediately knocked off balance as a small trail of blood spurted from her side made it clear she'd just been struck.

The Nekomata seemed more than willing to take advantage of that to bring out her claws and rip into the Succubus's wings.

Once again blood flew as the cat-like demon proceeded to injure the seductress's wings beyond immediate repair.

He wasn't sure if it was safe to move in given how vicious the cat-demon was currently being with the sex-demon.

"Are you all right?" the voice of his master called out and he found himself letting his attention slip from the sight before him and to the red-head now standing next to him, his sword stained in fresh blood.

"Indeed," he acknowledged, "I have no serious injuries."

Not that they'd matter anyway, what with how he was certain due to Katakirauwa that even if he was killed, he would simply return to that world of blades and endless wasteland before recovering from the damage.

It didn't take long for their current ally to be thrown back towards them as the Succubus rose from her downed position, her hair casting a shadow over her murderous eyes.

"You little shit," the demonic lady with torn wings ground out through gritted teeth, "by the time I am finished with you… you'll wish you had returned to the expanse."

That did not look good.

He was brought out of those thoughts by the sound of a series of gunshots sounding out not far from where he was currently standing.

Glancing at the source of the cracks, he was unsurprised to see his summoner standing with his handgun held calmly.

"I can't allow that," the teenaged human responded without delay before reloading his gun's clip.

Without much more in the way of words, the boy proceeded to charge at the woman without care and Lham Dearg found himself wondering if Shirou was simply being reckless in his rush towards the foe.

It didn't take long for him to shoot her again, knocking her off balance before a swing of his sword severed the neck, sending the Succubus's head flying as the body slumped.

He made up his mind.

His master wasn't just being reckless.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Putting his gun and sword away, Shirou felt relief swell up within his chest.

He hadn't been sure just how he would fare against the two sex-demons, but it seemed his gun had proven itself useful yet again.

He could certainly acknowledge the usefulness of the firearm given how often it had helped him through battles since he had arrived in Tokyo.

"Fomor," he spoke firmly, causing the demon to turn its attention towards him, "pick up the hunter's body again."

"KAY!" the giant responded as it moved to pick up the corpse that had been put down while they fought.

"Are you okay Nekomata-san?" he asked, his new ally.

"Of course," she responded without delay, "cats always land on their feet after all."

He released a sigh at that.

At least his client was still feeling healthy.

"Well then, I guess we should do what we can to reach the centre of the Domain," he pointed out even as the demons around him nodded in acknowledgement.

Without any further ado, he proceeded to start moving through the corridors once again, trying to keep track of the twisting halls before reaching a door that almost blended into the environment.

It looked like he was about to face off against the creator of the domain.

"So Nekomata-san," he spoke up, earning a groan from the humanoid cat, "what can you tell us about this 'macabre' demon?"

"Hmm…" she seemed to think for a few seconds before deciding on what to say, "he's pretty fast, has a big scythe and likes to dance."

There wasn't much Shirou could take from that outside of the fact that his opponent had a weapon.

He wasn't sure how he'd compare to it in terms of power, all he knew was that due to the way Domain's worked, the foe would probably be stronger than the Succubus or Incubus.

Given the difficulty he had had in simply hitting the Incubus, he had a feeling this would end up being quite the difficult battle.

But he had come too far to give up now, that much was for certain.

"Well then, I guess we're going to be in for a hard fight," he told the group, his own demons simply nodding in acknowledgement while the Nekomata seemed nervous.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" she asked him cautiously.

He felt his nerves growing at the thought that he was going to be facing a foe that was probably beyond his ability to defeat… but he couldn't just ignore it.

"You don't have to follow me," he told her upon thinking that, "there's no guarantee I'll win… all I can say is that I'll do everything I can to defeat the enemy."

"Well… I want to take down Macabre myself," she responded with a smile, "so I guess I'll take that risk."

He nodded even as he released a sigh of slight annoyance that he'd have to keep an eye on her to make sure she'd be safe.

But in the end, it would also increase his chances of winning if what he'd seen of her ability was anything to go by.

Shaking his head clear once again, he proceeded to open the door and enter the room, ready for whatever attack would come his way.

None did, instead he was greeted by the sight of a tall, humanoid figure wearing a black body sleeve with a stylised skull and a wavy white line flowing down one leg. The head however was bald, with no eyes and almost entirely white except for the red circle and a question mark that went all the way down the face.

Beyond that, was the massive collar that framed its head like a flower, while the ends of the sleeves and legs were accentuated with frills.

But all of that paled in comparison to the scythe.

That long, cruel looking scythe that had decoration that looked almost like a coiled snake near the head, which itself was attached almost like a massive scissor blade with four spikes erupting from the circular joint.

The mere presence of the blade made him uncomfortable.

"T'would appear that I am in the presence of guests," the figure spoke with a tone that made it clear it did not consider the group a threat.

"Trace On," Shirou quickly proceeded to do the most obvious thing he could given the situation, opening his Magic Circuits and flooding his body with the Prana that would help reinforce it to a point where he wouldn't be immediately overcome by the foe.

"We're here to take back my club!" the Nekomata spoke firmly and he found himself silently noting the anger that he could hear in her tone.

Clearly, she had been truthful about her intentions.

"My, my… thou wishes to take my domain from me?" the scythe wielder spoke with an almost mocking tone, "then I shall grant you this one Danse Macabre."

As soon as the demon had finished its statement, it proceeded to rush him with a grace befitting a dancer even as he brought up his now reinforced sword up to defend against the assault.

Deflecting one strike proved awkward due to the simple fact that he was fighting against a scythe of all things, but he managed to do so before Nekomata struck at the foe who practically twirled out of the way as it brought its reaping tool against Fomor.

The blade easily managed to slice through the Irish demon's flesh and Shirou found himself drawing his gun and taking a shot.

Once again, his foe twirled, avoiding the bullet even as it clearly readied itself to make its next move.

Without warning, the foe released something that appeared to be an explosive miasma and by the time he realized he should hold his breath, it was already too late.

His body was immediately wracked with weakness as his lungs cried out in irritation, prompting him to violently cough before he realized his foe was already in range and swinging its blade to take his head.

He knew he wouldn't be able to bring his blade up to defend against the strike so he did the only thing he could think of.

He attempted to dodge.

His body however, refused to move with the energy it needed to, resulting in his inadvertently tripping.

*Screeee*

His ears were assaulted by a horrific noise that reminded him of metal scraping against metal, even as he felt a pain stinging down his back.

The impact of whatever had stung him managed to knock him to the ground, but he rolled onto his back, noting the looming presence that stood over him with it's scythe ready to swing.

Without any hesitation, he pulled his finger closed, allowing the gun that was still grasped within his hand to fire.

And for the first time since he'd entered the battle, the foe was struck by one of his attacks and he felt a clear sense of relief flood him at the fact that it seemed his gun was just as effective against this foe as it was against the Succubus and Incubus.

There was another matter that made him grow less nervous, mainly that his strength was starting to come back to him, meaning that whatever the Macabre had done wasn't going to cripple him for the rest of the battle.

"GRAAH!" he was brought out of his musing by the cry of the Irish Giant who appeared, it's massive fists raised above it's head, ready to come down on the almost jester-like demon they were facing.

The worst part was knowing his minion was probably not thinking about him in it's current weakness… meaning he was effectively a target of the hammer blow too.

Feeling for the anchor in his magic circuit, he waited for the Macabre to move before he pulled on the Magnetite indicating Fomor, dismissing the demon before its attack could strike him.

"Eh?" he noted the voice of the Nekomata call out in clear confusion before he pushed himself up from the ground and prepared his fighting stance once again.

"Interesting," the Macabre spoke with a tone indicating he had its full attention, "I have never encountered a creature like you before."

Shirou felt himself growing more worried at that as the demon looked at him with the smooth skin where eyes should be.

But more importantly, to be referred to as a 'creature' by the demon was probably the most unsettling part of the situation.

"What do you mean by that?" he decided to try and stall, hoping that Nekomata and Lham Dearg would recover enough to fight soon.

"You look like a human, you smell like a human and yet… you don't feel like a human," it stated with its head tilting to the side, "and then, my attack scratched off you and you got rid of that Fomorian without a phone."

Shirou found himself frowning at that.

The fact that the demon said he didn't feel like a human, and that its blade had scratched off him was worrying to say the least.

Because he had no idea why such things would even be the case.

"Nya!" and with that, the foe dodged a strike from the Nekomata before turning its blade on her with a speed he wouldn't be able to match.

But he didn't need to.

Once again, he used the gun he was holding in his offhand, knocking the foe off balance for its attack and allowing Nekomata to jump out of its range once again.

He noted the presence of Lham Dearg moving behind the foe and he felt a sense of relief as the Scottish Demon managed to land a decisive hit on the demonic scythe wielder, cutting a gash into it's back and allowing the scarlet red blood to splash outside of its body.

Despite the viscera however, he knew it wouldn't be enough.

As such, he was unsurprised when the foe turned and slashed at his minion, it's weapon cutting into Lham Dearg's neck and severing it with little fanfare.

Shirou found himself not all that concerned as he felt the essence of the demon flow back into his Magic Circuit, weakened but present.

Without another thought, he pushed back on Fomor, summoning the sheep-like demon in the typical golden lightning.

"GRAAH!" it was obvious that the Irish Giant was angry from that roar alone and he noted the speed it charged at the Macabre with.

Obviously it had recovered from the weakness that had plagued them after taking in that gas before.

And given the sheer force Fomor was putting into its moves, it was clear it was not happy with the previous situation.

Shirou wasn't going to complain about that.

Pushing more Prana into his muscles, he pushed himself forward, rushing the foe once again as he prepared to use both his current weapons.

Witnessing the duo of Fomor and Nekomata trying to hit the foe made it clear that they were being outmanoeuvred by the death themed dancer.

However, they at least granted enough of a distraction for him to get a shot in.

Once again pulling the trigger on his handgun, he watched at the bullet impacted with the foe, knocking it off balance just enough for Fomor's fists to crash into it from above, allowing the Nekomata to jump onto it and start tearing away with her claws.

Shirou however, continued to close the distance, being unsurprised when the foe threw his temporary ally in his direction, prompting him to simply duck under her and keep moving forward even as the Macabre rose to stand once again.

Fomor's fists bared down on where it had once been yet again, but he simply pushed his reinforcement harder as he rushed towards the current location of the foe, slashing at it with his blade in an attempt to catch it with its guard down.

The clanging that his sword made upon impacting with the foes scythe made it clear he hadn't been successful.

So he fired another shot from his gun, impacting on the demon who's stance gave way and allowed him to once again swing, this time without any of the other demons getting in the way of his strike.

With his foe off balance and his own attack free to land as he wished, he finally felt his blade strike where it was meant to from the very beginning.

Without much fanfare, the head of the scythe wielding demon proceeded to fly from its shoulders as his blade sliced straight through its neck.

Silence fell on the area as he waited for the repercussions of what he had just done to hit, and sure enough, the world started to twist around them as the domain proceeded to collapse in on itself, leaving behind a rather run-down nightclub.

Releasing a sigh of relief, he found himself slowly starting to relax as he stopped reinforcing his body, feeling the pin-like stinging that accompanied his magecraft once again seep into his consciousness now that his adrenaline was dying down.

"So…" his mind returned to the Nekomata that was currently standing not far from him as she spoke up, "I guess you'll want your reward now."

Her words sounded through his head, but he simply shook it in response as he turned to face her.

"It's fine," he responded, earning a confused look off the demon, "I didn't help you because I wanted paid… I did it because someone wanted help."

"Huh… that's weird," she responded before offering him a wry smile, "but if you don't care… then how about another job?"

Shirou found himself frowning at that.

"What sort of job?" he asked, he really couldn't handle another job like that last one until he'd gotten his body fixed again.

"Simple…" her eyes glinted with a sense of mischief and he found himself worrying far more as he waited for her explanation, "dance with me."

Shirou found himself blinking in surprise as he processed that request.

"Sorry, I'm not much of a dancer," he admitted after a couple of seconds, earning a frown off the cat-girl.

"Eh? But you seemed like you'd be pretty good at it when fighting that Macabre," she said, and he found himself frowning in confusion.

"Why would that matter?" he asked her, wondering just why she thought fighting prowess was proportional to dancing ability.

"Well… a dance is like a fight where you don't hurt each other… isn't it?" she asked him, and he felt himself staring at her in disbelief.

"Wait… you mean you don't even know what dancing is?" he almost shouted in shock at the demoness who was proving herself to be less aware of what she wanted to do than she realised.

"… does that mean dancing isn't related to fighting?" her question in response made him nod his head in acknowledgement.

"CAN FOMOR GO NOW?" without a second thought, Shirou proceeded to return Fomor to his magic circuits.

"The only thing dancing and fighting have in common is the use of footwork and rhythm," he stated, admittedly, there were probably other similarities between the two, but he wasn't an expert on dancing, so he couldn't exactly say much else.

"… then show me," the Nekomata said and he found himself stalling at that demand by the demon.

"W-what?" he couldn't stop himself from responding uncertainly.

"Show me," she repeated, "if dancing isn't fighting, then show me how it isn't."

He really didn't know what to do.

"I told you, I'm not much of a dancer," he told her once again, making it clear that he wasn't the person to go to for dancing instruction.

"Yeah, well you clearly know more than me… and there aren't any other human's I trust enough to teach me," she told him, and he found himself almost flinching at that declaration.

Why did she have to play the 'trust' card?

"… fine…" he relented, he could do with getting his body cleared of MAG poisoning… but it wasn't like he needed to fight in this situation, "I'll try and teach you what little I know."

And with that, he prepared for a long night.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou couldn't stop himself from releasing a tired sigh as he ended the lessons with the demonic cat-lady, with the shallow cut on his back stinging even through the MAG poisoning he had been experiencing.

He honestly didn't know any proper dances, but he gave her a general overview of what he assumed was standard club dancing.

There was a good chance he was wrong since he'd only really seen such things on TV shows Taiga had watched back in the day.

"Well… that was a little boring," the demonic lady spoke as she took a seat on a stool next to the one he had taken.

"I told you, I'm not much of a dancer," he repeated once again, "so I may have gotten it wrong… or maybe it just doesn't appeal to demons."

He shrugged his shoulders once again even as he waited for the fatigue that plagued his muscles to die down a little.

Even if he hadn't needed to reinforce himself to keep up with the Nekomata while 'dancing', he wasn't in full health due to having to reinforce himself against the master of the Domain and then having to move a bit after that in order to teach his temporary ally about dancing.

"Maybe…" she admitted to his suggestion, "who knows… perhaps if we get more practise, it'll be more fun."

He looked at the cat who was offering him a cheeky smile.

It almost made him feel bad about what he was about to say.

"Sorry, but I'm too busy to play with you," he declared, earning a pout off the demonic cat, "even this was wasting time I could spend doing more important things."

The Nekomata's expression turned to a thoughtful frown at that.

"Don't humans have something they call… what was it again… burning up? Wait… no, that's not it…" the demon started muttering to herself before she eventually turned to him, "is it… burnout?"

Shirou found himself looking at her before releasing a sigh.

"I don't have time to worry about something like that," he proclaimed, before feeling a light slap strike the back of his head.

Lurching forward, he proceeded to start rubbing the stinging that came from where he had been hit.

"Silly human," the Nekomata proclaimed with a sense of superiority, "you're not a demon, working yourself like that is only going to get you killed."

"That doesn't matter," his words escaped his mouth before he could even consider filtering what he said.

"Then how about I kill you now?" the words that came from the demon made him freeze and his muscles tense, "if your life means so little then you shouldn't mind if I take it for myself."

"I'm not just going to give up," he declared firmly, "I have too much I need to do… and I won't just sit back and die until I've done it all."

He continued to stare at that the whiskered demon, feeling at his magic circuits for his demons should it become necessary to summon them again.

"Then why not let yourself recover when you're tired?" she asked, and he found himself inwardly understanding where she was coming from.

But it didn't really matter.

"Because I don't have the time to do so," he declared firmly.

"… you're pretty damn stubborn aren't you," she said after a few seconds of looking at him, before she turned away from him with a pout, "fine… I guess I'll just have to find another dance partner."

"You do that," he told her bluntly.

He was prepared to help her with proper issues, like clearing out dangerous demons, but a dance partner wasn't something he was prepared to be for her.

An awkward silence reigned as he finally managed to get the feeling back in his legs and made to stand once more.

"Hey, mister-hunter," the Nekomata spoke up once again, "humans have names, right?"

He blinked at that before nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"What's your name?" she asked him, and he suddenly found himself staring at her in surprise.

He hadn't even realized he hadn't given her his name.

"Emiya Shirou," he told her, earning a firm nod off the demonic kitten.

"So… if I need help like this again, can I send you another job request?" her question was simple, and he found himself releasing a sigh.

"As long as you're not just looking for a dance partner," he clarified for her.

"So… if I need any help, I'll put in a job for Emiya Shirou," she told him, and he found himself nodding in acknowledgement.

"Just understand, I'll take the more pressing jobs first," he told her, he didn't want her to assume he'd immediately come running if she asked for help unless it was a dire situation.

"What could be more pressing than helping little old me?" she asked, and he simply stared at her blankly, "… it was just a joke… you really need to learn to lighten up."

Shirou couldn't stop himself from blinking at that.

He felt he was fine as he was.

"Well, goodbye Nekomata-san," he told her as he picked up the corpse of the hunter she had killed and started to make his way out of the nightclub.

"Yeah, goodbye Shirou-san."

And with that, he started to make his way back to Shibuya.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

"Interesting… very interesting," Shirou couldn't stop himself from listening as Leanan Sidhe spoke once again.

"What's up?" Sosuke asked the Irish Muse with a hint of concern in his tone.

"This injury is… _wrong_ ," she proclaimed, causing Shirou to frown, "the cut is too shallow for its length, almost as if there was something that stopped it from going any deeper… and it is already showing signs of starting to heal on its own."

That… didn't make sense.

"Do you have any ideas what could be causing that?" he asked the demonic lady.

"No… the only thing there that could've stopped the blade from going deeper would be your muscles… and they're just the same as normal," she proclaimed, "and your healing is slow, but noticeably faster than what is normal in a human."

"And there is nothing you can find that is causing it?" he asked, wondering just what was happening with his body.

"Nothing outside of those energy channels you have," she told him firmly.

Meaning the only thing that could have potentially caused such a result was magecraft… but he knew that his reinforcement wasn't enough to protect him like that.

And as for his healing… there was nothing he could think of that could explain that.

"Regardless," the Irish demoness spoke easily, "the only issue I really need to help you with is the Magnetite poisoning."

Shirou simply nodded.

The Poisoning was certainly an issue, but he was growing used to it… he just hoped he didn't grow so inured to it that he stopped noticing it altogether.

Because dying of self-inflicted poisoning would be the worst way for him to go as far as he was concerned.

But despite all of that, at least he'd managed to destroy a domain and recover a Hunter's corpse.

The latter being the rarer of the two occurrences as far as the Hunter Association was concerned.

For now though, he needed some sleep.

* * *

And that's all for today.

Shadow Out.


	10. Chapter 10

Yo.

I was planning on updating more today than I actually have due to it being the Summer Solstice but once again, my concentration has refused to co-operate with me... I'm really going to have to get my ass into gear again and get back to writing consistently.

But anyway... for now, I'll just leave it at this and get on with the fic.

* * *

Shirou couldn't stop himself from releasing a thorough yawn as he awoke from his latest batch of sleep.

He felt groggy, that much was for certain, beyond that, he could feel his muscles aching as he tried to rise from the makeshift bed he was currently using.

Pulling out his phone, he looked at the time and found himself inwardly cursing.

He'd overslept.

That was definitely not something he was happy to discover.

Pushing himself to his feet, he started to stretch, doing what he could to try and loosen his muscles up before he started his day before finally proceeding to leave the room when he determined there wasn't much else he was capable of.

It had only been a day since he had met the Nekomata, but due to his injuries, he had been required to remain in Shibuya until his back healed up.

But he had too much to do and couldn't remain bed-ridden for long.

So he made his way towards the Hunter Association and pushed open the door.

The room was relatively quiet, then again, given the time of the day, it wasn't all that surprising.

"So, you're up," his attention was drawn towards a familiar voice that prompted him to face the owner.

"Sosuke-san," he responded to the man without delay.

"I'm surprised you're up already," the man spoke without delay and Shirou found himself frowning at that.

"I overslept," he declared bluntly, earning a raise eyebrow from the man.

"I guess you didn't get the hint did you," the owner of his physician commented idly, causing him to frown and look at the man.

"What do you mean?" he asked with his eyes narrowed.

"You're worn down," the response was plain and simple, "Leanan Sidhe told me that if you don't get proper rest, you're going to burn yourself out completely."

Shirou couldn't stop himself from frowning at the man before the bartender walked up to them.

"Get him whatever's the most nutritious," one of the few 'friends' he'd made during his time in Tokyo said before he could open his mouth, earning a nod from the bartender.

Shirou found himself unable to really disagree with the comment about nutrition, he probably could do with something better than the shlock he had been getting since he'd arrived,

He wasn't happy that it would be going to him instead of someone who was in more need of it, but he really was feeling lethargic.

"So are you going to do the smart thing and get some rest?" Sosuke spoke up and he found himself about to respond before the man piped up again, "because if not, I'll have to get my Apsaras to cast Dormina on you again."

Shirou froze at that.

He was aware of what Dormina was, a magic that some demons used to induce sleep… but to find out it had been used on him was certainly not something he could simply dismiss.

"So that's why you were surprised I was already awake," he declared with his eyes narrowed.

"You need to get some bloody rest," the older man pointed out, "you're no good to anyone if you get yourself killed because you're too stubborn to make sure you're in good health."

"There are too many people out there who need help for me to just sit back and do nothing," he pointed out with his temper starting to flare.

He understood that Sosuke was just trying to look out for him, but he had more important things to do in a world like this.

"And like I said, you can't help anyone if you aren't healthy," the other hunter declared heatedly, "just look at that injury you took yesterday, it's pure luck you didn't die then."

"And I didn't," those were the first words that came out of his mouth and it was only after he said them that he realized just what it implied.

"So what… you want to die?" the man asked and he found himself sinking into his seat with a sigh of frustration.

"No," he told the man without delay, "but I want others to die less."

It was a simple philosophy.

He cared for the lives of others more than he cared for his own.

There was nothing more to it.

"Then stop being an idiot and get some rest," the other man commanded him, "you won't save anyone if you're too exhausted to do anything."

It didn't matter.

In the end, he couldn't just let himself sit around, because even if it got him killed, he couldn't just let others suffer when he was in the position to do something.

"Sorry, but I just can't do that," he decided to admit to the man.

It was obvious from Sosuke's expression that it wasn't an answer the man liked, but he wouldn't waste anymore breath on the issue.

Eventually, he found a bowl of stew, complete with some of the rare vegetables that were grown under UV lamps in the Shinjuku National Park, placed in front of him.

"Eat up," the Bartender said as Shirou proceeded to hand over the necessary Macca for the meal and started to eat.

It was certainly better than anything else he'd had in Tokyo, mainly due to the vegetables, but it still had the issue of the meat being leathery due to not being bred for tenderness.

"Well, I've got a job to do," Sosuke finally spoke up as he raised from his seat and started to make his way towards the exit, "hope to see you alive again."

And with a wave, the man made his way out of the door.

Shirou really found himself wondering what to do concerning their association with each other.

He and Leanan Sidhe certainly got along to a certain degree, what with how she liked to drain him of his Magnetite poisoning and he found her presence somewhat comforting… but Sosuke was clearly making decisions about him that he wasn't all that happy about.

Finishing off his bowl, he proceeded to update his mission list before looking at the available jobs.

Looking at the list, he didn't find much that indicated people who really needed help, simply jobs for courier duty and hunting down certain objects.

Which meant he didn't have much in the way of leads for jobs to exterminate dangerous demons.

Shaking his head, he decided to make his way out of the association.

He'd learned that just because there wasn't a mission listed, didn't mean there weren't people all over the place that needed help.

He'd just have to find someone there.

Making his way out of the room, he soon found his vision going black as consciousness left him.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou couldn't stop himself from releasing a groan as his consciousness returned to him.

He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he had a good guess.

"Sosuke-san," he spoke up without delay.

"Curse me all you want," the familiar voice spoke from the corner of the room, "but you need to get some proper rest for a change."

He didn't know how to feel about that.

His body was certainly feeling a little better than before, but he needed to help people.

"Are you planning on getting in my way again?" he asked, earning a sigh of annoyance off the older man.

"Look, I can't babysit you all day," the more experienced Hunter told him firmly, "but this is serious… if you keep on like this, then you'd be just as well of jumping off Sky Tower."

That statement wasn't going to deter him.

"I'm not going to give up," he declared firmly, earning a sigh of annoyance from the older man.

"I guess talking sense into you isn't going to work," Sosuke spoke with his irritation clear in his tone, "in that case… I guess there's only one thing left to do."

Shirou started to feel inside his magic circuits as he prepared for what was about to come.

"Because, if you're not going to look after your own health, I'm not going to look after it either," the statement was said with an air of finality as the older man proceeded to make his way out of the room.

Shirou took several seconds to figure out what the man had meant by that and by the time it had clicked in his head, it was already too late.

Sosuke was gone.

And from what the man had said, it sounded like he no longer had access to Leanan Sidhe to help him with his Magnetite problem.

That… could certainly prove problematic.

But he would just have to make do.

He wasn't certain there were any other Hunters who would be anywhere near as patient with him as Sosuke had been, meaning he'd likely just have to push through whatever injuries or poisoning he got through sheer force of will.

Pushing himself off the bed he had clearly been put on, he could still feel his muscles proving somewhat stiff, prompting him to start performing some stretches to try and loosen them out.

After several minutes of loosening up, he proceeded to open the door, as ready as he could be to take on whatever came his way.

He was obviously still in Shibuya, that much was obvious just from the mere presence of the men in business suits that littered the station.

Shaking his head clear, he proceeded to look for the people who weren't obviously members of the Ashura-kai, after all, that group didn't care about who it hurt so long as the order it created was upheld.

So it was more likely that the people who were living under the rule of the Ashura-kai that would have jobs he'd be more willing to look into.

Moving towards an old man in rags, he knelt down next to them and proceeded to talk.

"Hello, I'm Emiya Shirou," he introduced himself, earning a narrowing of the man's eyes in the process, "I'm a hunter and I'm wondering if you know of anyone here who needs help."

It wasn't a guarantee he'd get anything useful out of him, but the old man seemed to think for a few seconds before speaking up.

"Look, I don't know what you think you're doing," the man spoke warningly, "but you'd better not start anything here… the Ashura-kai don't take too kindly to people causing trouble here."

Shirou found himself confused at the mere fact that man said that instead of anything else.

The sigh the man gave in response made it obvious that his confusion was noted.

"Look kid, I know who you are, we all do around here," the man told him and he found himself frowning at that, "and the main word is that you're a stubborn fool who doesn't think his actions through."

Shirou found himself somewhat unhappy with that description of him.

It wasn't that he didn't think his actions through, it was just that he tended to do them anyway because people needed saving.

"I'm just trying to help people," he declared pointedly.

"Look, just don't go picking a fight with the wrong people," the stranger told him bluntly, "it doesn't end well for us."

His frown only grew at that.

The mere fact that the Ashura-kai took their anger out on the people who lived under them wasn't something he could just let happen.

But he knew that if he fought them, he'd be exposing the people to danger.

It was a hard situation to even make a decision about.

He didn't want to put the people in danger of retribution… but at the same time, things couldn't get better without someone tearing down the Ashura-kai.

Shaking his head clear, he decided that he was unlikely to find out anything from the man given his clear hesitation in offering information to him.

"Sorry for taking up your time," he decided to end the conversation as politely as he could as he rose back to his feet and released a sigh of defeat.

He would just have to find someone else who was more willing to talk to him about any issues that the people were having to deal with.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou couldn't stop himself from feeling frustration as he ended another conversation that went just as every other one had before it.

The people here were simply so used to the exploitation they were suffering that they were simply focused on not making it any worse than it already was.

It certainly seemed like this 'Tayama' person filled the mould of a dictator quite effectively.

And as much as he wished they'd be more willing to accept his help, he understood that they were under the impression that he just made things worse.

It was certainly not a reputation that would be conductive to aiding others if it stopped him from getting any information out of the very people he was trying to help.

But it wasn't like he was prepared to just sit by and let people suffer… so there wasn't really anything he could do to change that.

Meaning he didn't have any leads to go on concerning how to help the people of Shibuya Station.

His ears started to pick up on something and he found himself about to reinforce his hearing when he remembered that he wouldn't be able to undo the damage it would cause now that Sosuke had cut his ties with him.

Releasing a small sigh, he moved closer to the sound as he tried to make out what was happening.

" _No! Please, don't!"_ the voice was hard to hear from the distance he was at, but it was clearly that of a mature man and filled with horror.

Beyond that, he was certain he could hear other voices and a girl crying.

He was about to rush towards the sound when he felt a hand grab his trousers.

Looking down, he noticed a middle-aged woman with a baggy coat and a worn-down expression on her face.

"Don't," were the first words that came from her mouth and he found himself growing angry at the hold up, "just leave it… getting involved will only make things worse."

He hated this.

Being actively held back from helping others because someone was strong-arming a community into turning a blind eye to suffering was not something he was willing to put up with.

Jerking his leg free of the woman's grasp, he proceeded to rush towards where the voice had come from.

But it was too late.

Looking at the area, all he saw was a middle-aged man slumped against a wall, his groans indicating that he had likely been knocked into it not long ago.

"Are you alright?" he asked the man as he crouched down on one knee and surveyed the area around them.

"…" the silence from the man said everything he needed to know about that… however there was something else that he needed to ask.

"What happened?" it was a simple inquiry and he noted the way the man turned to face away from him at it, clearly ashamed of what had happened, "please, tell me what happened."

The way the man's lips curled in anger made it clear that he wasn't happy with that request.

"You want to know what happened?" the older man's voice was quiet, but the fury was obvious, "those bastards took my daughter! That's what happened!"

Shirou immediately understood why the man would be angry at that… and why he'd look away in shame at having clearly failed to protect her.

"I see…" he said without thinking, "I'll get her back for you."

That statement from him seemed to surprise the man who instantly looked conflicted, probably a case of him not wanting to invite the wrath of the Ashura-kai on himself, warring with his desire to get his daughter back.

But he wouldn't wait for the man to make his decision.

Getting up from his crouching position, he immediately started moving through the path towards the exit, he doubted they would be taking her to a location within Shibuya Station after all.

Reaching the stairs didn't take long, with him immediately ascending them before noting a series of distant figures.

They were a little too far away for him to be certain, but they appeared to be a group of three, with the one in the middle being obviously smaller than the other two.

It didn't look like any of the figures was struggling, but that could simply be due to fear as opposed to consent, so he moved towards the group at a pleasant jog, he didn't want to be out of breath if a fight broke out.

"Who the hell are you?!" one of the figures called out after turning around, clearly hearing his footsteps.

It was just as he had expected, two men in white business suits with phones strapped to their wrists were flanking a girl who looked to be several years younger than he was.

The dead-eyed look she gave him and the way her body was shaking made it clear that she wasn't happy with the current situation.

He honestly didn't know how to start the conversation with these men and he found himself stalling on his words.

The silence didn't last long however.

"Wait, spiky red hair, gold eyes and a sword carried at the hip…" the other man spoke before his eyes narrowed, "you must be Emiya Shirou."

He was almost surprised by the fact the man identified him, he hadn't expected his description to be passed around among the Ashura-kai… but then again, given the fact that the man named Tayama had already shown an interest in him should've made it obvious.

The look that was passed between the Ashura-kai men made it clear there was some form of unspoken rule that they had concerning him and he found himself growing concerned.

"Are you going to try and get in our way?" the first man asked and he found himself tensing his muscles as he grabbed onto the demons within his magic circuits.

"You're trying to kidnap someone… of course I'll get in your way," he decided to be perfectly honest.

The smirk that the men gave at that declaration made it clear they were happy with that.

As they moved their hands towards their Phones, he summoned Lham Dearg and Fomorian once again, while simultaneously pulling forth his gun and firing at the Phone attached to the arm of the first one.

He found himself somewhat happy when the bullet managed to strike the gauntlet like contraption and damage the phone, simultaneously punching a hole into the man's arm and eliciting a cry of pain, giving him an opening to turn his attention towards the other member of the Ashura-kai who he had failed to stop in time.

With a blue crackle of lightning, Shirou found himself facing a giant creature with a yellow face, a pair of fangs that pointed upwards from it's excessively wide mouth, green eyes, a pair of drill-like horns erupting above its long, pointed ears while a red mane of hair flowed down behind it and dangled towards the ground.

Beyond that however, its body was arachnid-like, with six legs that protruded from the side of the bulb-like body, each one learning into a bone-like claw of a shape similar to a scythe.

Seeing the beast, he hoped his foe didn't have any more demons to summon.

"You fucking asshole!" the one he'd managed to disarm cried out with the pain clear in his tone even as the young girl ran from the confrontation.

"So… am I to eat this guy?" the giant demon asked and Shirou found his eyes narrowing as he considered how little he wanted to be eaten by such a creature.

"No, Tayama-sama wants him alive," the summoner told the creature firmly, prompting Shirou to frown in confusion.

Why did Tayama want him taken alive?

He shook his head clear of those thoughts, he could dwell on that later, right now, he had a giant spider demon to deal with.

"Oh? So we're facing a Tsuchigumo," the voice of Lham Dearg called out and he found himself silently thankful that the Scottish demon had given him a name to go with the creature that stood before him.

"What do you think our chances are?" he decided to ask the swordsman, wondering if he had any idea how strong this type of demon was.

"Not particularly good," the response wasn't one he found surprising, he could feel the difference in power between them and the beast just from standing near it.

"Heh, you hear that? Even your own demon thinks you're gonna lose!" the summoner of the Tsuchigumo spoke with arrogance clear in his tone, "why don't you do the smart thing and give up already?"

Shirou honestly didn't know how to respond to that proclamation.

On one hand, sure, he was apparently outmatched, but on the other, he wasn't exactly willing to be captured by the Ashura-kai, not when he could do more to save people when he was free.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to turn your offer down," he stated bluntly, earning another grin off the man.

"Great, that means I get to take my frustration out on you," his opponent declared confidently.

"Let me guess… because I interrupted your attempted kidnapping," he concluded with his expression blank.

"Damn right," the stranger responded with his smugness giving way to an obvious anger, "we were going to put her to good use and then you had to show up and screw it all up for us."

The way the man said that made his blood freeze.

His mind went over the implications of what the man had just claimed and he found his course of action changing.

He had only intended on defeating these men, but now it was clear they were only going to cause more suffering if they were left alive.

So now, he was no longer fighting to win.

Now he was fighting to kill.

Without a second thought, he aimed his gun at the summoner who had managed to summon a demon and pulled the trigger.

He wasn't surprised when the spider-like demon jumped in the way, taking the bullet with no real indication it had been hit.

"Lham, kill the other one," he commanded and the bloodied Scotsman nodded before moving towards the defenceless Ashura-kai member.

The bloodcurdling scream that came from the direction didn't even register in Shirou's mind as he flooded his body and equipment with Prana, uncaring of the effects it would have on his health, allowing him to charge the demon with his sword being brought to bear.

"Fomor, attack," it was a simple statement and he found himself being followed by the goat-like demon, even as he proceeded to charge straight at the Tsuchigumo before sliding under the swipe it made at him with one of its front claws.

However, his goal wasn't the demon.

Pulling his gun back out, he took aim at the Ashura-kai member once again and pulled the trigger.

He almost grimaced when the foe flung himself out of the way of his aim as soon as he realized what he was doing, allowing the man to avoid getting a bullet in the brain.

"Oi! Get back here!" the demon screamed and Shirou found his eyes widening at the crackle of electricity that was dancing off the creatures' belly.

Without a second thought, he moved out from under the beast just as a burst of electricity erupted between the demon's stomach and the ground.

"D-dammit! Don't fry the brat!" the human cried out with a hint of fear in his tone, "Tayama-sama will definitely punish us if he ever found out!"

Shirou found himself silently wondering just how bad such a punishment must be if the man was more willing to risk death than suffering whatever Tayama would do if they disobeyed his instructions.

At the very least, it gave him the advantage over this foe.

Turning his attention back towards the Tsuchigumo, he noted that Fomorian was unable to match it in terms of raw strength, however, the fact that Lham Dearg had returned from his task meant that all Fomor had to do was keep the foes limbs still so Lham could attempt to slice through them.

He found himself surprised that he was unsurprised when Lham's sword failed to cut through the spider-like demon's hide.

Returning his attention on the summoner, he almost lost his composure upon seeing the man pointing a gun at him.

Without a second thought, he moved his head out of the way before hearing the gun fire and feeling an impact on his right shoulder.

The blunt pain made it obvious to him that his foe had been aiming at a non-lethal area… which meant hitting his armour which was currently being reinforced, making the impact far less damaging than it would've been without it.

He decided to forego the battle between their demons and focus on dealing with the Ashura-kai member, charging towards him with what could be described as reckless abandon.

Though in this case, it wasn't so reckless, what with how his foe wasn't aiming to kill him.

With his enhanced speed, he reached the Yakuza-like man and slashed at his torso, an attack that was barely avoided by the man as he pulled his trigger once again, though this time, the bullet simply ricocheted off one of the harder plates of his armour.

Beyond that, his foe was clearly off balance, so with another rapid swing of his blade, he cut into the man's chest, prompting blood to start spilling out of the injury.

"D-dammit Tsuchigumo! Get over here and save me you asshole!" the man cried out, his voice cracking from the pain of the wound he had just been given.

Pulling out his gun, he quickly took aim at the man's head before pulling the trigger.

The crimson splatter was clear as the man fell to his back and bled out.

"Master! Watch out!" the voice of Lham Dearg called out and Shirou immediately dived forward before feeling the wind pressure of a swipe passing by the back of his neck.

He felt a definite sense of relief at the lack of hesitation he had when listening to his demon.

"So, you killed that guy huh?" the spider-like demon spoke with malice clear in its tone, "that's good, now I don't have to listen to his bullshit anymore."

The mere fact that the demon seemed to be taking the death of its master so happily made it obvious that it held no attachment to the thug.

The Important part however, was that the summoner was dead, which left an easy way to defeat this foe.

Quickly moving over to the corpse of the summoner, making sure to keep an eye on the demon, he was about to make a grab for the phone the Ashura-kai member when he found himself being forced to roll out of the way of another strike by the Tsuchigumo, putting distance between him and the demon.

"RARRGH!" the excessively loud warcry of Fomor sounded out and he noted the way the foe flinched as it was struck from behind by the demonic lamb, even while Lham Dearg managed to cut a little into its exposed flesh.

It was clear that they were outgunned by this foe and only had one way to achieve victory.

"Oh? Are you trying to unsummon me?" the monster asked with it's tone indicating it knew that that was exactly what he was trying to do, "well… we can't have that can we."

And with barely any time for processing it, the demonic beast proceeded to call forth a surge of electricity that immediately fried the corpse along with the phone that was their main method of stopping it.

Shirou couldn't stop himself from releasing a grimace at that.

The mere fact that he was now going to have to find a way of stopping this demon without resorting to using the demon summoning program to return it to wherever it was stored when not active, was certainly intimidating.

Raising to his feet, he watched as the creature continued to shrug off the blows of his two combat-oriented demons.

He needed to figure a weakness of some sort.

The issue was, that he had no real method of doing so, especially since he could only really use his gun or sword.

And to make matters even worse, was the simple fact that he was guaranteed to lose a war of attrition when he was having to steadily poison himself just to stand on the same level as this foe.

This was going to be a very long day.

* * *

And that's all for today.

I hope to get back to regular updates but I can't guarantee anything.

Shadow Out.


	11. Chapter 11

And I am back.

Anyway... first things first...

I have decided to start a Pa treon under the name of "The Distorted Shadow Fanfiction"

If anyone would be willing to donate to help me support myself, then I would appreciate it.

Now... on with the fic.

XXX Chapter Start XXX

Emiya Shirou could do little more than swallow a nervous gulp as he looked at the demon that stood before him.

Massive, spider-like and now no longer held back by it's summoner.

It definitely did not look good for Shirou.

At least he had both Fomor and Lham Dearg out and ready to fight for him.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head. He was on a timer with his need to reinforce his body and the slow poisoning that was happening because of that.

He may have built up a resistance to it over time, but resistance was not immunity and without Sosuke being prepared to bring out Leanan Sidhe to help him deal with the accumulation, he needed to minimise his usage.

Meaning he didn't have time to think things through.

Rushing towards the demon, he readied his sword, silently worried that he wouldn't be able to do any real damage to the monstrous demon, especially since he doubted he could hit harder than Fomor and the ram-like demon was doing barely anything to the foe.

Seeing it's leg coming to swipe at him, he ducked and brought his sword to cut at it's limb.

The result both surprised him and was satisfying.

He could cut it.

It may have been shallow, but it was better than he had expected.

At the very least, it meant he _could_ kill it.

It barely flinched but Shirou found himself having to throw himself away from the spider-like demon as it was coated in Electricity that soon arched in the place he used to be.

Pulling out his gun, he fired a shot reinforced just like his sword, armour and body were.

The spurt of blood that flew from the impact zone told him that the gun was at least effective despite it's previous weakness.

"Master, are you seriously planning on continuing this fight now?" Lham asked and he simply nodded.

"Yeah, we need to deal with this demon before it hurts anyone else," he declared bluntly even as he aimed another shot, this time at the Tsuchigumo's face.

The fact that the shot hit and he could see the blood erupt from the wound only made him even more annoyed that the demons were hardier than humans and such hits weren't necessarily fatal.

"Do you think you can beat me with that?" it asked and Shirou simply found himself gritting his teeth as he felt the familiar prickle of MAG poisoning invading his muscles.

He noted Fomor strike the beast from behind and the snarl that erupted from it.

Without any more warning, it turned and struck at his third demon, effectively eviscerating the sheep-like demon in the process before turning on Lham and doing the same.

Within a matter of seconds Shirou felt both demons returning to his circuits, leaving him alone with a pair of demon corpses and a giant spider that could now focus solely on him.

Gritting his teeth once again, Shirou found himself accepting a single truth.

He was most likely going to die here.

But he refused to do so without at least killing the foe before him.

It was too dangerous to leave alive.

Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his muscles as much as he could as he thought of how to defeat this foe.

His mind went to Lham Dearg and some of the attacks he had seen the demon use.

There were some that were clearly stronger than normal… so maybe… maybe he could try one of them.

It wasn't likely to work, but anything was worth a shot right then.

Focusing on what he had seen Lham Dearg do, he rushed his foe.

Dodging another attack, he put both of his hands on his blade and focused.

 _Gram Slice_

Two words entered his head as he mimicked the attack he had occasionally seen his first demon use.

And then his mind froze.

He could literally feel the Magnetite that was currently flooding his body being expended in the strike and stared as his blade sliced clean through his foe with an ease it hadn't before.

He had only hit the torso but seeing his foe recoil from the blow told him everything he needed to know.

 _Somehow_ he had just managed to amplify his attack using the very substance that had been practically killing him.

It was clear that his prana had been expended in the strike too, but the very way it had flowed had told him everything he needed to know.

Normally the Magnetite followed his Prana, this time the Prana had followed the Magnetite.

Meaning whatever blow he had just performed had been enhanced by the Magnetite instead of his Prana even if they were tied together.

It was only after his foe was bathed in electricity once again that his mind jolted out of it's stupor.

But by then, it was too late.

The bolt of electricity the Tsuchigumo had sent his way moved too fast for him to dodge and for the first time during the encounter, he found himself being struck head on by the elemental attack.

His mind blanked before pain welled up in his body and he realised he was now lying with his back on the floor as the giant demon appeared over him with it's leg raised to slam down and impale him.

He tried to roll out of the way but his body wasn't responding.

And then the leg came down.

"Gurgh!"

He could feel the pointy end of the foes limb crash down, knocking the air out of his lungs and leaving a sharp sensation in his chest even as he felt the pressure decrease.

Looking at where the foe had struck, he could see that it hadn't quite gotten through the armour but he could barely breathe, each gulp of air feeling like he was swallowing razors with how metallic and hard it was.

"I don't know _how_ you managed to do that, but you won't live to try again," the Spider demon declared with fury clear in it's tone even through his current lightheadedness.

Shirou found himself quickly realising that he wouldn't survive if this kept up, so he got his gun and shot it.

The pressure barely changed and he was still running out of oxygen.

"Why aren't you dead already?" the demon asked but he could do little more than feel the darkness take him.

Until his mind went back to another attack Lham Dearg had used on occasion and his arm moved automatically.

Once again a name came to his head.

 _Critical Wave._

With a swing of his blade, he felt the pressure leave his chest as his foes leg fell and he felt himself getting splattered by a large heaping of some liquid.

He heard a loud thud sounding from beside him as he pushed himself to his stomach and started coughing.

He could feel a coppery taste flooding his mouth with each cough before the metallic tinge to the air died down.

But at least he wasn't being hit again.

"Well… that was a pretty pathetic showing."

He was too busy coughing to say anything as an unfamiliar voice spoke up.

"Still, I do have to wonder just why mother is interested in you," the voice continued and he pushed himself to open his eyes, seeing a large pool of blood below him before he looked up to face the owner of the voice.

What he saw did not fill him with confidence.

It looked like a girl with dark hair and a light tan wearing a leotard.

However, it was the pointy ears, the whip like tail and the bat-like wings that made it clear to him that it was a demon.

Letting out yet another cough, he found himself once again looking at the ground.

"Honestly… you really are pathetic to be left in such a state just fighting a Tsuchigumo," the creature said, "there's no way you're ready to meet mother."

Shirou felt himself trying to process that information with his slowly recovering mind.

From what he could tell, it appeared he was on the radar of a powerful demon.

Just what the demon actually was he couldn't tell, but he needed to stop it from capturing him.

"Still… mother won't be happy if the Ashura-kai get their hands on you like this…" the demon stated before trailing off, "be grateful human, I suppose I will help you out this one time."

He started to see black enter his vision as he felt his body getting lifted off the ground.

He just hoped he wasn't going to end up as demon-food before he had the chance to recover.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

His body ached.

He could feel the stinging sensation that came from MAG poisoning, though it wasn't as bad as he had expected.

What was worse was the same type of pain that came from bruising, this time, it was located around his ribs, though thankfully it seemed to be limited to the outside of his chest with no sense of it within his ribcage.

And to make matters even worse, there was the sensation he had come to learn indicated demons were nearby.

It was currently going crazy to the point it made the Tsuchigumo's presence feel like a Katakirauwa in comparison.

"Oh? Finally awake I see," an unfamiliar voice cut through his hazy mind and he opened his eyes only to see a blur, "welcome to Ginza."

Ginza… Ginza…

Shirou thought for a few seconds even as a headache assaulted him before remembering what he knew of the station.

He had never been there before.

Because it was effectively the backyard of the Ring of Gaia.

He tried to move but found his body refusing.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to push through his body's refusal.

He needed to get up.

"Tell me Emiya Shirou, why did you choose to fight that Tsuchigumo instead of retreat?" the voice, a calm, feminine one that made his instincts cry out that he should obey whatever she told him too.

But he needed to get up.

Pushing her voice out of his head, he felt for his Prana and found it.

"T-tu-race," god his throat was so raw and dry he could barely even chant his aria, "o-on…"

He could feel his prana flowing through his body, but all it did was bring forth a familiar stinging sensation and he still couldn't move.

"Now that is interesting… I suppose this means I can't kill you no matter how tempting it might be," the voice declared.

Shirou simply continued trying to push himself up despite the pain he was in.

He didn't know why the voice said they couldn't kill him, but at the moment, he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Guards!" the voice blurted out and he grit his teeth even as he heard a door open, "our guest is to be nursed back to health and then sent on his way, am I understood?"

"Of course Lady Yuriko."

Lady Yuriko?

Meaning he was in the same room as the leader of the Ring of Gaia yet he couldn't do anything!

Feeling pressure asserting itself on him, he found his vision changing as he was risen from the ground and finally got a look at the leader of the Ring of Gaia.

She was clean.

Too clean for the world they lived in.

She also possessed short black hair and green eyes that held an edge to them the he was certain meant she held at least some cunning.

But above everything else, he now knew why he could feel a powerful demon nearby.

It was _her_.

The leader of the Ring of Gaia was a demon.

And an incredibly powerful one at that.

Watching the woman get further away, his sight was only broken when the doors closed and he was left glaring at the wood even as he was carried out of what was clearly _not_ a station, but something else.

Eventually he found himself once again outside before realising exactly what was happening.

He suddenly felt foolish for believing the Ring of Gaia Headquarters were in the station itself.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou couldn't stop himself from gulping down the water he was given with a reckless abandon.

He knew there was a good chance it was drugged but he didn't care.

He needed to drink _something_ and he didn't exactly have much in the way of options.

The sheer relief that came to him from that was worth the risk.

Taking several deep breaths, he felt himself finally managing to feel his strength return to him.

It was still sore.. his muscles still cried out in agony… but at least he could feel them practically thanking him for the breaths.

"I do not know why Lady Yuriko deems you worthy of this mercy," the red robed man currently holding the glass that had held the water he'd been given to drink aid, "but she declared you our guest to be looked after, so that is what we shall do."

Shirou wasn't sure why she made that decision himself.

Especially since he fully intended on destroying her and her organisation when he got the chance.

After all, any group that controlled the public via brutality was an affront to him.

But even he knew better than to tell them that in his current situation.

He watched as the man who was clearly meant to be looking after him pulled out a phone and proceeded to press several buttons.

Despite what the man had declared, Shirou found himself growing nervous as the burst of blue lightning blasted near him and died down to reveal a demon standing at the ready.

It wasn't a demon he was familiar with, what with it's long narrow head… wait, no, that was a beak, along with bird like feet, wearing clothing that reminded him of a stereotypical female peasant in western media.

"Kikimora, heal the brat," the man commanded and Shirou found himself the subject of actual healing.

He could feel his muscles slowly growing more and more relaxed as the demon slowly healed his body over the course of nearly an hour.

By the time it was finished, all Shirou felt were the stinging of the magnetite in his muscles, the growling of an empty stomach and the lethargy that came with exhaustion.

Without another word, the man recalled the demon before speaking once again.

"I will get you something to eat, after that, you can sleep or you can leave," the man declared before leaving the room.

Shirou hated to say it, but he needed to sleep.

He was truly exhausted after he took such a beating.

But once he had recovered, he was going to be going to both save others and test out the skills he was certain weren't something he had ever learnt to perform.

Copying his demons wasn't something he had ever considered until he had been put into a life and death situation where all hope seemed lost.

But it had worked.

Somehow he had managed to pull off moves that consumed his Magnetite, that could potentially act to help him prolong his life-span without Sosuke's aid.

On top of that, if the fact that he had clearly managed to at least injure the Tsuchigumo with one of them was anything to go by, then they were likely even more powerful than his usual strikes.

But for now… now he was too exhausted to try it.

So he would just rest.

After they kicked him out of Ginza he would test it out.

But not until then.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou finished eating his way through the cracked bowl of 'pork noodle soup' as they called it.

It had taken far longer than he would have liked due to how hard it was to move his arms and hold things with his current lack of strength.

The look of consternation on the face of the man who was currently looking over him made it clear that such weakness wasn't welcome in Ginza.

Despite everything though, there was one thing he needed to ask.

"Did you know your boss is a demon?"

"No," the man responded succinctly.

Shirou noticed the complete lack of concern the man was showing.

"You don't seem too bothered by that," he stated.

"She's strong, that's all that matters," the man's answer told him everything he needed to know.

He wasn't going to be able to get through to these people.

The complete dismissal of him made it obvious they didn't care what species she was as long as she was a strong leader.

But then again, they'd been fighting under her since the ceiling had formed, she had already proven to them her leadership abilities.

Releasing a sigh of acceptance he simply said the only thing he could in the situation.

"I see."

He would just have to grow strong enough to defeat her himself.

Until then, he'd have to simply train and grow stronger.

It did at least let him know that the Ashura-Kai would be his first targets.

Their leaders were human after all, meaning simply eliminating their phones would render them defenceless.

Finishing off his bowl, he put it next to himself.

"Will you sleep or leave?" the man asked even as he picked up the bowl.

"Sleep," he answered, he doubted the man would care about anything else he might say.

"Then sleep," he didn't need to tell him twice.

It was taking all of his remaining energy to stay up.

Letting himself fall to his back, he quickly felt darkness take him.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Nozomi couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What did you just say?" she had to ask, her throat running dry at what she had just been told.

"I told you, I refuse to help that guy kill himself," Sosuke's words were said with a bitterness in them that she was not used to hearing from the man, "I tried to help him, but he refuses to stop… so I am not going to enable him any more."

The worst part about it, was that she understood exactly where he was coming from.

From what she had come to learn about Shirou, he was stubborn when it came to his desire to help others.

Hell, he even refused to take payment from people who needed it more than him.

It was such a rare thing to find that the idea of him being snuffed out because Sosuke wasn't willing to help him made her clench her fist.

"And have you ever thought about how many _other_ people you would be helping by keeping him healthy?" she demanded.

"And what about the chances of him picking a fight with the Ashura-Kai or Ring of Gaia and starting an all out war?" the man shot back and she couldn't stop herself from averting her eyes.

"I thought so," he said, his tone clearly unhappy with it himself.

She had seen Shirou's determined expression when they had met the Ashura-Kai, that alone said everything she needed to know.

He wasn't going to leave them alone.

But… but at the same time she _knew_ that nothing would change without someone who was willing to rise up and fight the system.

But when everyone was too scared to so much as speak up, there was little chance of that happening.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Sosuke released a sigh.

"Look… if you can convince him to stop being so stubborn then I'll help him again… but I'm not going to waste my battery on someone so intent on getting themselves killed," the man told her.

She couldn't stop herself from grimacing at that.

She genuinely doubted she would be capable of doing such a thing.

Pulling out her phone, she turned it on before finding her contacts.

She composed a message and sent it.

 _Shirou, can you please come and see me in Shibuya soon?_

 _We need to talk._

Now she just needed to wait for a reply.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

When Shirou woke up, he could feel his head pounding.

It wasn't a surprise.

Despite the healing and nourishment, he had still nearly died at the claw of that Tsuchigumo.

But at least he could move once again.

And that was more than enough.

Pushing himself into a seated position, he started to move his arms.

A little stiff but otherwise functional.

At the very least functional enough to leave Ginza.

He looked towards the door and saw that the man who had previously been watching over him was no longer there.

But that didn't change one simple matter.

He could feel that sensation that he got whenever a demon was nearby.

"You can come out, I know you're there," he said.

"Oh? You could tell I was there?" a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to him said before the winged girl from before appeared before him.

This time however, he found himself gulping.

Before the pain had blocked out any thoughts on the girl… but this time he didn't have such a thing clouding his mind.

So this time he found his eyes being drawn to her slender figure, her silky smooth skin with a light tan, her strong European features and the way she held herself.

The smirk she sent his way made him avert his eyes.

He knew it was foolish to do something like that but he couldn't stop himself.

"Oh? Are you embarrassed?" she spoke with a tone that sounded both sultry and mocking simultaneously, "don't worry… even virgins can learn with the proper tuition."

Shirou could feel his heart practically beating out of his chest at that.

This was definitely a bad situation.

"But first…" she continued before the smirk faded, "why did Mo-Lady Yuriko give you such special interest?"

Well, that just confirmed for him that the demon calling itself Yuriko was this demon's mother

However there was a serious issue with her question.

"How should I know?" he was being perfectly honest.

He really had no clue as to why that demon had decided to give him special treatment.

If anything it just made him worry even more.

After all, if she had such an interest in him, then it meant that she had some plans involving him.

And there was no way that could be good.

"Tsk," the winged, succubus-like girl responded, "you really don't know why Lady-"

"Just call her mother if you want to," Shirou cut her off, causing the girl to cringe, "I already know she's a demon."

The way the girl looked at him made it clear his statement was not appreciated.

"She told you?" she gritted out.

"No, but I can feel it when a demon is nearby… and the strength of that feeling is comparable to how strong the demon is," he decided to let the girl know.

The creature's snarl changed into a look of confusion.

"You can _feel_ when we're near?" she repeated before realisation crossed her face, "so that's how you knew I was there."

He knew that revealing that information was a bad idea, but it had already come out and he guessed he owed her one for dragging him to Ginza to recover.

But he kept quiet.

She'd already figured him out on that aspect.

"Then I guess I should just tell you outright," she declared, "I've been assigned to watch over you… so try to not disappoint me."

Shirou flinched at that.

The idea of having this creature watching over him day in and day out was not something he felt particularly comfortable with.

"Now then… it's time for me to have a little fun," she continued with a sinister smirk before he found himself pinned to the futon by the surprisingly strong girl.

That was when he felt a firm hand caressing his groin with a harshness that was almost painful.

He felt a sense of both anticipation and dread well up within him.

He tried to push himself up but she didn't even budge.

"Stop fighting, I am going to teach you a _lot_ today," she declared.

Then a creaking came from outside his periphery.

And then a second later an unfamiliar voice cut in.

"Lilim, stop it."

The demonic girl froze.

"If you do that, we won't be able to get rid of him."

There was no sympathy in the voice of the woman who had interrupted the close encounter, but he found himself unsurprised.

This was the Ring of Gaia's town.

If he wasn't strong enough to defend himself from this 'Lilim' then they would probably consider it his fault for being too weak to resist.

"Tch… and just when I was getting to the good part," the girl that was in the process of trying to rape him was obviously irritated but got off him.

Shirou probably would have thanked his temporary saviour if it wasn't for the fact she was obviously more interested in getting rid of him than saving him from the demon.

Beyond that however, was the simple fact that the demon was _listening_ to this woman.

Meaning that whoever this woman was, she was stronger than it.

Looking at the door he finally got a good look at her and found himself staring once again.

Pale white skin, a red robe with long bell sleeves while the front left wide open to reveal a black wrap underneath it and a necklace made of large orbs hung around her neck.

Her hair was pitch black and long enough to fall down to her breasts, though her left side was swept behind her ear and tied tightly.

However her gaze was what really drew his attention, she was looking at him coldly but he could see a fire burning behind that.

Whoever this woman was, she was passionate.

"Seriously?" the Lilim spoke with an amused tone, "hey Kaga, are you sure I can't fuck this kid? He clearly needs to lose his virginity if he keeps staring at women like that."

Shirou immediately averted his gaze.

"Do it _after_ he has left Ginza," the woman declared firmly, "he doesn't belong here."

Shirou actually found himself agreeing with the woman.

He definitely didn't belong in Ginza.

Then he blinked before looking at the Lilim.

He actually _heard_ her pout.

"Now, are you healthy enough to leave?" the woman clearly named Kaga asked him and he found himself glancing at Lilim who was now looking at him with a predatory glint in her eyes.

"Not with her hanging around," he responded bluntly.

Hopefully that would buy him some level of protection from the perverted demoness.

Silence reigned after that.

For what felt like several minutes of staring down the woman that could command the Lilim, their stare-down finally ended.

"Lilim, come, we are going to speak with Lady Yuriko," the woman declared earning a grimace from the demon that had helped him get away from the Ashura-Kai's patrol routes.

"B-but that's!" the demon started before being silenced by a single glare from the woman, "f-fine…"

And with that, the two proceeded to leave the room.

Shirou for his part simply felt relief flood his being at the fact that he was no longer in the presence of Lilim.

Honestly the mere thought of having sex with her was tempting, oh so tempting.

But the way she hadn't even asked for permission was worrying.

It was like she viewed him the same way a child viewed a piece of chocolate lying around.

He couldn't honestly blame her either.

To her, he was just a meal ticket.

Shaking his head clear, he looked at his possessions and taking a nervous gulp as he remembered the move that had rendered him defenceless against the Tsuchigumo.

It had been an electric spell powerful enough to paralyse him at least temporarily.

Gingerly digging into one of his pockets, he pulled out the familiar phone he had been gifted back when he first appeared in this world.

It looked a bit singed but otherwise it looked operational.

The real test of course, was turning it on.

Without any further hesitation, he proceeded to watch as the phone's screen turned on and eventually showed him the main screen.

Releasing a sigh of relief, he waited for the phone to update before blinking.

He appeared to have a new message waiting for him.

It was from Nozomi and asked him to meet with her in Shibuya.

He failed to stop a grimace from marring his face at that.

After what he'd just pulled, he doubted he'd be welcome in the station.

Composing a message, he sent it before exhaling.

It was time for him to leave Ginza.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Nozomi couldn't stop herself from feeling nervous as hours passed with no indication of Shirou receiving her message.

Maybe his phone had been broken in a fight?

Wait, no that couldn't be right.

She had already seen that his phone was an old Nokia… and those things were well known to be indestructible.

Maybe he was simply sleeping?

But if so then where?

She was brought out of her thoughts when her phone vibrated.

Almost immediately it was in her hand and she felt her fears alleviate.

Shirou had sent a response.

Opening the message she stared as she processed what he had sent her.

 _Not Shibuya, I_ _'m probably not welcome there anymore._

 _How about Ueno?_

She felt her throat run dry at that.

Not welcome in Shibuya anymore?

Did that mean he had already taken action against the Ashura-kai?

Because if he had, then that was definitely not going to end well.

Preparing a new message, she sent her response.

Even if she would have to travel to a different town, she would speak with him.

She just hoped it wasn't too late.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou wasn't sure of what he should do as he left the gate of Ginza.

For all their talk of strength, there were clearly some people living there who weren't strong but clearly weren't suffering under the rule of the organisation.

It was actually more disturbing to him than what he had originally expected.

Moving through the gate he found himself nearly walking straight into a familiar face that made his cheeks heat up.

"So you're leaving," the pale skinned woman who had managed to save him from the Lilim was standing there, the leotard wearing demoness right there behind her, practically glaring at him.

"Yeah," he admitted.

He had hoped that he'd be able to avoid the Lilim on his way out but it seemed fate had a different idea.

"Good," the woman named Kaga declared, a sense of relief clear in her tone.

That… wasn't what he was expecting.

He had expected condescension but now that he had actually seen what Ginza was like under Gaian rule, he had to question his understanding of her motives.

"Why did you say I don't belong here? There are plenty of weak people in Ginza," he asked, earning a nod in response.

"The weak have their place and have the potential to grow strong with the proper motivation," her response made him blink, "but every story I have heard about you tells me that you will hate our ideology."

He sagged in relief at that.

It seemed he had misinterpreted the source of her contempt for him.

With her explanation, he honestly couldn't find it in himself to hate her.

"Well… by your philosophy, if I grow strong enough to beat everyone in your organisation, I should be able to enforce my will upon it," he decided to point out.

"So you plan on standing against us," her response held a sense of contempt for him, "then get strong and prove yourself capable of doing so."

And with that, the woman walked past him and back into the station.

Leaving him there with Lilim.

"So… how about we start up where we left off," she said, prompting him to draw his blade.

"Sorry, as much as I'd love to, I have someone I'm supposed to be meeting," he declared.

The way she crossed her arms and pouted in response was shockingly cute.

And it only made him regret not taking the opportunity she was presenting him.

"Plus… I'd rather do it on a bed instead of the street," he added.

The demon let out a small chuckle at that.

"How vanilla."

Shirou wasn't sure what she meant by that but he doubted it was a good thing.

"Fine, go and have your little meeting, just remember, I'll be watching you," she declared before disappearing before his eyes.

He could still feel her presence but she was undetectable by his other senses.

Meaning she was definitely still there.

Despite everything however, he had to get to Ueno.

Nozomi had agreed to meet him there after all and he really didn't want to keep her waiting.

He probably had a lot of explaining to do.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Tayama was pissed.

Two of his men and a Tsuchigumo had been found outside the entrance of Shibuya dead.

Things were even worse with the fact that only one phone had been recovered, the other fried beyond repair.

The most telling part of the matter however, was what a short investigation had revealed.

His men had just taken a young girl to be lobotomised and a homeless man had; after a little insistence, revealed that Emiya Shirou had been heading towards the commotion and refused to listen to any warnings.

Meaning that the bullet that was lodged in one of the corpse's heads was most likely from him.

The boy had gotten involved with his affairs, killed two of his men _and_ gotten away.

Emiya Shirou had cost him resources and manpower.

Beyond that, the boy hadn't even successfully saved the girl he had apparently tried to help, given her corpse was found not far away, having obviously encountered a demon without any protection of her own.

Meaning there was one less potential breeder.

"Update everyone's instructions, if they see Emiya Shirou, they are to attack on sight," he declared to the men in his room, "I want his head."

"Yes Tayama-sama!"

Their response was instant but until Emiya's head was on his desk, he wouldn't be satisfied.

But for now, there was nothing he could do.

He just had to be patient.

Sooner or later the boy would pick a fight he couldn't win and then…

Then he would die.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Yuriko couldn't stop herself from wondering if sending that daughter of hers to keep an eye on the boy was a good idea.

Especially after the meeting she had just had with that human woman that had managed to distinguish herself among their ranks.

She wasn't surprised at her daughter trying to feed off the boy but she didn't know what the boy's purpose there was.

After all, she wasn't privy to her true master's plans.

She only knew enough to know that he had been collecting foreign agents from universes that existed beyond the Axiom and Expanse.

And that none of the other test subjects had survived more than a day.

But feeling the boy's strange power had made it clear to her that he was one such agent.

What was it about him that had let him survive where the others had died?

Maybe nursing him back to health and letting him leave Ginza would help them discover just what made him so special.

There was no guarantee, especially since he had apparently nearly died against a Tsuchigumo but there was a chance and that small chance for her master to learn something was more than enough for her to spare the boy.

Now it was just a matter of waiting.

XXX Chapter End XXX

And that is all for now.

Anyway, I will admit, when I read this fic back to refresh my memory of it, I found myself feeling the pacing was too quick.

But above that... I noticed that I seemed to forget about Shirou's ability to detect nearby demons.

I also forgot to include Lham and Fomor using their stronger attacks.

Hopefully I won't fall for that trap again.

Anyway...

Shadow Out.


End file.
